


The Only Exception

by PinkMedow



Series: The Exception Series [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action & Romance, F/M, Family Feels, Steve and OC, Team Bonding, Tony Stark's Sister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-15 21:12:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11814285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkMedow/pseuds/PinkMedow
Summary: Meet Elizabeth. Tony Stark claims to be her brother (it's much more complicated than that). She also has a whole lot of powers and has no idea what to do with them. She's also the girl who's gotten herself tangled into messes that involve badass assassins, a raging green giant, a supersoldier, Norse Gods, and aliens. And let's not forget the giant purple grape who wants her dead.





	1. Meet Liz

**The Only Exception**

_**Meet Liz** _

**  
** Tony 

Wonderful! First , I’m trapped in a cave in Afghanistan for 3 months, my entire living depends on palladium, I'm really hungry, people are still manufacturing my **restricted** weapons, I need some pizza, and there were just two military planes after me. Wonderful.

I wait for what feels like hours for the various, complex machines to finish dismantling the suit off me. My breath catches momentarily as I hear the clicking of heels making its way down the stairs to the workshop. I sigh in relief once I realize that my explanation to Pepper about the suit will be postponed, as the click of the heels that make its way down isn’t practiced and professional, it's jittery and animated.  I look over my shoulder to see my sister smiling knowingly at me and proceeds to kick her expensive Louboutins (the ones Pepper bugged her to buy) off before making her way towards me.

Elizabeth Maria Stark (to her birth certificate) **/** Liz (to everyone else) **/** Elizabeth (to Aunt Peggy) **/** Lizzie (to me) isn’t actually my biological sister. She’s my biological _niece._ She’s my sister in every other way but biologically. See, my actual older sister Bethany got knocked up and pregnant when she was sixteen. I was like, 5. So in the delivery room (private, secluded delivery room that was literally the only room in that building since my dad had it built it for the sole purpose of delivering Beth’s baby) there was this huge lightning (yep, just one lightning bolt) that hit the “hospital” evidentially killing everyone there except Lizzie, who didn't even get one strand of hair burnt (lucky bitch). She got out of that alive. She also got out of it with these massive, amazing powers. Meaning she can produce, control and emit fire, water, ice and most importantly electricity from her tiny little hands. About a year ago, she saved the city by holding up a transmission tower for six hours (using electricity and ice). Now everyone calls her ‘Tricity’, which is the most stupid name, people have ever given a hero (not that there are much anyway).

 

Well, I watch her make her way to me and watch her as she sits on the desk and I watch her as she quietly observes the machine. I internally panic. She is never quiet. She always has something to say. You see, she can never complete a sentence without rambling about something arbitrary midsentence, hence going off topic, which results in a 30 second answer to turn into a to a 2 minute conversation between Liz and Liz until you stop her. 

“Anything wrong?”

I shake her out of whatever thought bubble she was in.

“Huh?”

“I asked if everything was ok. Your unusually quiet.” I watch as the mechanical arms place my suit parts on different tables and walk up to her.

“Um. No. I’m fine. Nothing unusual. I mean, I’m quiet because I'm thinking of what to say because I usually don't think before I talk unless what I'm talking about is really important and has to be soul touching and brain shocking, not in the bad way though but in the good way, you know, the way when you actually ponder and consider what the person is saying and try to look at it from their point of view, _that_ type of brain shocking cause I don't mean the one where you shock your brain cause I definitely don’t want you to shock your brain cause I really care about you and it would really suck if your brain got shocked. But, so, ya, I'm fine I was just checking in on you. Well, no. I wasn’t _just_ checking in on you, I wanted to talk to you about something which is what I was thinking about, which is why I'm so quiet cause I'm doing some serious word assembling and.....” see, I told you.

“What do you want to tell me?”

“Rhodey called me. Apparently, you were in the suit and you were attacking Gulmira. And _I_ know why you’re doing this and apparently Rhodey knows who the man behind the suit is but he doesn’t quite get why you’re doing it, which is something you need to do. Explain the whole purpose of the suit and what exactly your gonna do with that suit, we really need a name for it, cause it would really get tiring after a few days, if you’re planning to keep it for a few days or more, if everyone keeps referring to it as ‘the suit’. But all you need to do is wait, cause eventually people will see that thing flying around and they will think of a name itself. How does Red sound?” While ranting about my suit, and Rhodey and a bunch of other things I didn't quite get, she plays around with the metal hand of my suit electrically moving it around the air.

“I’ll talk to Rhodey. Try to get him to understand, maybe even back me up if I'm ever gonna have to do a repeat of today. Sorry sis, but I’m gonna have to get going cause there is some stock meeting and if I don't go, Pepper will be on my case and I’ll really be screwed this time. And no, we are not naming the suit and I ‘Red’. It's even worse than ‘Tricity’.” And I run up the stairs dodging the cold snowball that flies past my head and hits the wall (never anger someone with ice powers unless you know how to dodge the snowballs they playfully throw at you) as I hear her laugh and run behind me. 

 

**The Next Day  
** Liz

            God! These shoes are so painful. How the hell does Pepper wear these every day? I pause for a minute to shake my right foot before walking into the conference room located in the top floor of my hospital. As I walk in, the other members of the table immediately quite down and I take my seat at the head of the table. I give a small nod to Richard, the head of security, indicating for him to commence his presentation. As I wait for him to set up, I look at the glass walls that display my reflection. My long, dark, wavy hair is pulled back into one of those complicated buns Pepper makes, my usual makeup-free face contains some tan eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara which make my brown eyes look much bigger. I smooth out the wrinkle on the white dress I wore today, and I uncomfortably uncross my legs.

 

            Unlike most days where I’m running around the hospital stitching someone up, mending a broken arm, or removing a bullet, today I have to do some real CEO work. I own Stark Med Care, a successful, international, medical chain that is involved with hospitals, clinics and pharmacies (which was kinda weird in the beginning since my brother owned a weapons company that literally manufactured equipment whose sole purpose was to cause injury and I owned a medical chain that helped people, but since Afghanistan and the closure of the weapon part of the company it's getting better now). My usual day-to-day clothing includes some nice comfortable jeans and simple top and my “doctor coat” or scrubs. _Today is not one of those days,_ I think to myself as I partially listen to Richard go on about securing the perimeter of the building and security cameras. I catch his gaze, I encouragingly give him a smile, and he continues. I wish Happy was here, he would find some way to throw Richard off guard with a question which usually results in him cutting his presentation short in fear that Happy might ask another question, but it's my brother’s turn to get Happy for his meeting (we take turns bringing Happy to our meetings). My phone lights up and I quickly bring it under my desk and lower the brightness.

 

 **Knight: How’s the meeting going?**  
Lizzie: Horrible. This guy won’t shut up. Can I have Happy?  
Knight: No can do little sister. He’s mine all day. And all night...  
Lizzie: I didn't need to know that but I like your way of coming out.   
Knight: Shut up. I'm not gay.  
Knight: Hey, does a scrawny, blond haired, blue-eyed guy seem like Pepper’s type?  
Lizzie: I don't know. Why?  
Knight: Cause’ he keeps staring at her!   
Knight: Do you think they’re dating?  
Knight: I should do a background check on him.  
Knight: Lizzie?

I internally roll my eyes. Pepper and Tony (Knight) better get their act together and start kissing the hell out of each other soon because if I see any more of those long loving eye locks, and that incredibly thick sexual tension the appears whenever the two of them are in a room together, I'm going to forcefully lock their lips together and not stop until they admit they like each other.  But all silliness aside, Tony likes Pepper. I knew that when I saw her at the front desk of his office a week after she was hired (the other female P.As didn't last that long). Pepper likes Tony. She wouldn’t have chose to work for him if she didn't (his reputation was very well known). I like Pepper (and yes, that is an important factor). She’s smart, fun, talented, witty and a great friend. Tony really likes Pepper. She wouldn’t have lasted 10 whole years if he didn't. There wouldn’t be a ‘Pepper’s Room’ in the mansion if he didn't. There wouldn’t be a ‘Pepper Potts access code to all the rooms in the house’ if he didn't.  Pepper really likes Tony. She wouldn’t have accepted the room and the access codes if she didn't. She wouldn’t work her ass of everyday, get Tony food, get his clothes and drag him to meetings if she didn't. She wouldn’t spend 10 whole years with him if she didn't. Tony is in love with Pepper. He wouldn’t be fretting and pacing across the room in total panic when she’s late for work if he weren’t. He wouldn’t keep tabs on her parents to make sure that they are safe if he isn’t. His eyes wouldn’t follow her whenever she was around if he isn’t. He wouldn’t smile those real, deep smiles at her if he weren’t. Pepper is in love with Tony. She wouldn’t have spent the entire 3 months of Tony’s captivity crying her eyes out of she isn’t. She wouldn’t have slept in Tony’s bed during those 3 months if she weren’t. She wouldn’t give him affectionate smiles and her eyes wouldn’t linger on him while he’s working if she isn’t. She wouldn’t have stopped covering her freckles with makeup because he told her he liked them if she isn’t. Tony and Pepper are in love with each other. Maybe I _should_ try that ice trick.

 

“What do you think about my idea Ms. Stark” Richard’s voice grabs me out of my daze.  
I blink once, then twice. I smile and then I face him.

“Wonderful idea and presentation Richard. Now everyone back to work.”

 

 

 **Later On During That Week (Or, On the Roof at Stark Industries)**  
Tony

            I mentally berate myself for not seeing this coming. Come on Stark! The man was a walking, talking human bomb and you didn't even realize! And he made a suit! How did he make a suit? What the hell is my life? I think as Obadiah tosses me around like a puppet.

“Sir, the suit is losing an immense amount of power.”   
            No shit Sherlock!   
“I kinda got that part J.A.R.V.I.S. Now tell me something I don't already know!” I dodged a fist.

“Sir there is something coming your way. It's traveling at a immensely great speed; I am unable to scan the object.” I dodge another punch and I brace myself when I see Stane’s other ‘arm’ coming at me for an additional punch.

A peculiar rope-like, wire of electricity surges from beside me and I turn to the source as my sister twists her hands and strikes them forward, causing Stane to stumble backward.  She turns to face me.

“Can we fire him after this?” The corner of her mouth tips to the side.

“He’s all yours sis. But first, lets create an ‘after this’.” She nods and puts a gloved hand to her ear (She has a suit too. You can’t emit ice and fire if there is a possibility that it will burn your leg or arm or something. With Pepper’s help, we created a blue and gold ‘suit’ that was bullet proof, and comfortable. Now, I'm no fashion prince but the suit looks pretty good, actually. Her blue and gold leather jacket is made from Kevlar which ultimately protects her from bullets. It's usually zipped up three quarters of the way since Pepper claims it look much better that way, so she wears a white tank top which has melted gold titanium alloy scattered across the front and back to create a shield and a really cool design which was also Pepper’s idea. She wears leather boots and leather pants which has a more thin and flimsy version of Kevlar that is contained inside the fabric. Bottom line is; her suits awesome.)

 

            Right, so she puts her gloved (blue with gold titanium alloy) hand to her ear.

            “Friday, how much power do I need to get rid of that thing? Not get rid of it as in kill him cause I don’t want him dead. I mean not that I care if he’s dead or not, well I kinda would but I just want to break that suit apart. How much power do I need?” Similar to J.A.R.V.I.S., Friday is Lizzie’s personal A.I. It (she) manages her company and her personal life and helps her when she’s ‘Tricity’ in the form of contacts lenses and an earpiece.   
            She turns to look at me. Her face is apologetic and guilty.   
“I don't have enough power to break something that technologically advanced.”

Well, back to plan A.   
“Get Stane to the skylight on top of the original reactor so I can blow it up!”

She looks at me as if I lost her mind but then runs towards Stane who has managed to get back on his feet after the harsh blow he received. One of the things I love about my sister (there are many); she questions my crazy, messed-up antic after she has _finished_ helping me with it (If I asked) so if it does somehow end up successful, she hasn’t blown up at me for no reason and picked a fight. I instruct Pepper to press the button when I say so and run to help my sister in the fight.

My sister had her powers ever since she was born so Aunt Peggy thought it was a good idea to teach her combat along with how to use and control her powers. It sure as hell paid off I think, as I watch my sister do a series of graceful flips, kicks and punches as a multitude of colour flies around her, all sizzling with energy making it beautifully lethal. I fly towards her contributing my own series of Repulsor blasts.

“I’ve always had a suspicion that you were Tricity honey. Tony here always looked so smug whenever your alter ego came on the TV. Now I know for sure.” The suit made Obadiah’s voice sound eerily creepy and villainous, guess he forgot to make those changes (or maybe the villainous voice was intentional.) While he was speaking to my sister, I fired up my arm to its full capacity and gave Stane a quick but hard punch to the center of his suit. With that, the colourful tornado of electricity that was circling around us the entire time (courtesy of Lizzie) merged together and flew towards Stane and landed on him with a crash knocking him towards the skylight just as I screamed “NOW!” to Pepper.

The two of us stood there, on the roof as Stane recovered from the electric mega-blast he received. On the corner of my eye I saw Pepper run into the car a fair distance from the building, I sighed in relief, the fear in my chest vanishing. I felt it before I saw it, and Lizzie and I zoomed away; me flying on my repulsors and her gliding across water, which formed a river like path for her to zoom through, as the building blast with a blinding blue light.

~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~~.~.~

“The truth is....”

I look up and catch my sister’s eye. She knows what I’m thinking, she knows what I'm gonna do. She smiles fondly, crosses her arms, and watches me.

“I _am_ Iron Man.”   
And as the media goes crazy and the reporters have seizures, my eyes find her once more to see that she is has a full on smile now, the one with the cute eye twinkle and the dimple that makes her look so much like Beth.

God I Love My Sister!


	2. Meet Natasha Romanoff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what to say. She’s not only got Stark figured out but everyone else too. No one has ever seen through my cover, it's completely unheard of. I have exactly 5.5 seconds to make a decision. I can...  
> a) Come clean and tell her the truth   
> b) attack and kidnap her until my mission is complete  
> c) run
> 
> “My name is Natasha Romanoff. I work for S.H.I.E.L.D

** Meeting the Team Part 1  
Natasha  **

Iron Man 2  
Natasha 

            “Yes, that will be all Ms.Rushman, Thank you very much.” Potts tells me and I nod my head and walk away, adding a little swing to my hips, aware that Stark will be watching.

“I want one” I hear him tell Pepper and I roll my eyes at the arrogance that trailed the man who think he can just ask for anything. _Individualism—Nonexistent._ I mentally put an ‘X’ on the list I made in my head for my evaluation of Tony Stark and his compatibility for the Avengers. The corners of my mouth tip up when I remember the shocked faces of both Potts and Stark when I kicked the bodyguard’s ass (Stark was surprised even though he didn't show it). The plan worked perfectly. Leave it to Stark to assess someone based on how they look (I'm hot, everyone knows it) and not do a full, thorough background check (if he did, he will see that there are many missing pieces), since he stopped at my picture and my dialect skills.  _Ability to make precise judgements ---Nonexistent._

I walk through the door and I almost jump in surprise, but years and years in the Red Room allows me to keep my composure as I continue walking, my steps slower to better scan the sight ahead. A woman stands in front of me, a pillar supporting her slim frame and her head buried in her tablet, the long veil of ebony hair covering most of her face, making her unrecognisable. As the sound of my heels echo through the hall, her head shoots up, and she looks straight at me.  _Tricity_

The young billionaire has done a relatively good job of hiding her identity from the world, but Fury was a pain in the ass until one of our agents figured out the identity of the ‘hero’. However, after going through all the trouble of finding whom Tricity was, Fury just gave the agent a nod and walked away. Since then, the subject of the electricity (and fire, water, ice) producing girl never came up which was very surprising for the rest of us.

            Elizabeth closes her tablet and stores it in her cross-body Chanel bag and smiles at me.  A wide, _genuine_ smile, the kind I haven’t seen in ages, and I feel as if someone threw a refreshing bucket of water on me on a hot summer day. _Come on Nat! You have to get to her to get to Stark._ I give her a small tentative smile in return.

“Nice moves you got there. The fighting moves, I mean. You just kicked Happy’s ass. Not that I want Happy’s ass to be kicked cause I really like Happy and all but........well, what I'm trying to say is that you are really good at....whatever you did there.” She said. _In one breath._

That got her a real smile, the first real smile I’ve done since... _forever. She’s cute._

“Thanks. I’m Nata...Natalie. Natalie Rushman.” _What the hell Nat?_ I’ve never done that before. Never slipped my cover. I'm always so calm and composed. _It's because she’s so genuine you moron! It makes you want to be real for once._ I study her closely. If she noticed my previous slip-up, she does a good job of hiding it, because her face shows no sign of...anything but happiness.

“Nice to meet you Natalie. I'm Elizabeth. Elizabeth Stark.”  Her hand reaches out and I shake it. It's the first time I’ve ever felt a friendly handshake.

“So, what are you doing here? I mean not, ‘what are you doing here’ in the bad way like a, ‘what the hell are you doing in my house’ kinda way, but more of like a, ‘what brings you here today’ kinda way. I'm just curious.”

“I'm a notary. Just making the company transfer from Mr.  Stark to Ms. Potts legal.”

She smiles and nods, but something about the way she looks at me makes me feel a bit cautious as I get a strange feeling that she isn’t falling for it.

“Oh ya, that. Don't get me wrong or anything. I love Pepper. She’s awesome. And she’s practically been running Stark Industries for the past 5 years. So it's only fair that Tony makes it official. But I'm starting to get a bit worried. Tony seems to be doing things more impulsively than usual now a days. I mean, Tony's always impulsive, but this... this worries me.”  

            I’m surprised. And impressed. Surprised because she just shared a chunk of something personal without a thought. _Well..._ I suppose she does that all the time, rambling enough to divulge something meaningful without even realizing it. _That’s one ‘X’._  Her perceptiveness is impressing though, she’s got Stark all figured out. Bet she has no clue what’s really going on with him.  She smiles at me once more and turns to leave.

“Well I better get going. I was just waiting for Happy to come out.”

“Yes. I better get going too. Need to sign more papers.” 

“Well, then. Let’s walk together. I’ll have some company and you won’t have to locate through this maze all by yourself.”

I laugh.

 

** Monaco, Europe **

** Natasha **

I sit in the seat that took forever to get (cause Stark wanted to ‘make it us’) surveying the party. Men and woman in formal attire chatting, laughing (fake), smiling for pictures (fake) all the while sipping champagne and discussing more ways to make money. I take out my phone and engage myself in reading my most recent emails including my letter of employment from Stark. My plan worked without a glitch, just as I had thought it would. I knew luring Stark into this trap would be easy, his head is always floating in his robotic world; he doesn’t even realize what is going on half the time.

“Mind if I sit here?” I look up from my phone to see a smiling Elizabeth Stark (does the women ever _not_ smile).

“Of course, take a seat.” She pulled out the chair beside me and turned it around so that she could also face the party. Her fingers drummed on her lap and she awkwardly crossed her legs, and then uncrossed it. She turned just in time to see me watching her.

“I don't know about you, but I can’t do anything in these sheath dresses. They’re so tight and uncomfortable, how do people manage to wear them every single day for more than an hour? And if you add these death traps they call heels, I'm a walking, talking tornado.” She quickly defended herself.

“No worries Ms. Stark, the party is only going to last for another half- hour for you, as Mr. Stark has a meeting scheduled.” As an afterthought, I added, “and if you don't wear sheath dresses that often then you will have trouble walking comfortably in them for a long period of time. I couldn’t stand the thought of these dresses when I had to wear them when I started my job.”

            I look at her; she’s contemplating something. She wants to tell me something, but she’s deciding whether it’ll be a good idea or not. I hope she does tell me whatever she wants to, chances are that she will be carried away in her bubble of words that she’ll end up disclosing something vital about Stark

 “I know who you are you know. Not that I know _who exactly_ you are, but I know that you were never a notary and that you are definitely not qualified to be a P.A. You’re something else, something more...lethal and badass. And the reason why your here has to do something with my brother, doesn’t it?”

            I have no idea what to say. She’s not only got Stark figured out but everyone else too. No one has _ever_ seen through my cover, it's completely unheard of. I have exactly 5.5 seconds to make a decision. I can...  
a) Come clean and tell her the truth   
b) attack and kidnap her until my mission is complete  
c) run

 

            “My name is Natasha Romanoff. I work for S.H.I.E.L.D it's...”

“I know what that is. The organization approached us before. Actually, do you remember the rooftop incident that made Iron Man aware to the public? Well, Phil Coulson and his little army helped Pepper when she was in trouble.” O _k then...._

“Right, so I work for S.H.I.E.L.D and I have this assignment, the assignment being your brother, and the assignment being confidential, so I can't tell you precisely what I'm doing.”

            She stares at me for a minute. Then, she rests her head back against the cushioned chair, closes her eyes, and lets her breath leave her in a gust. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, she looks at me.

 

“Are you gonna hurt him?”

“No.”

“Then we’re fine”

            I openly gape at the woman in front of me. During the past two encounters I’ve had with this individual, I’ve been surprised a countless number of times, something that is rare. Right now, I will be less shocked if she told me that she worked for HYDRA. What motive should a person have to be ‘fine’ with an assassin that is pretending to be her brother’s P.A. in the form of an assignment. I actually expected a huge brawl that would eventually end up with her threatening to snitch to Stark, which will end up with me threatening her. She notices my reaction and laughs.

            “I actually don't know you at all. But as long as you’re not gonna cause him any physical...no. Cross that out. _Any_ form of injury and pain, I'm fine. This way, you get to do your assignment, and my brother has a super cool, badass, agent stocking him.”

            I open my moth to speak, but she beats me to it.

“Don't worry. Tony won’t know anything. I'm not gonna tell him and jeopardise your job and have S.H.I.E.L.D coming after me because I spoiled their mission.”

            I reprimand myself to get my act together. _Stop looking like a fish Nat!_

“Thank You Ms. Stark, I do appreciate it.”

She looks at me weirdly once more. _Do I have something on my teeth!_

_“_ You can act like yourself you know. That was the whole point of me telling you that I know that you’re not the passive notary. So that I don't have to have a conversation with you and ignore the pained expression that appears on your face whenever you’re polite. And you can call me Liz”

I roll my eyes. _It's good to be me again._

“Call me Nat.”

 

** In the Car During the Stark Expo Incident (Happy, Natasha, Liz)   
Liz **

 

            “ **Aren’t you going to do something about this**?” Happy screams at me. His face altered to one of panic.   
  
“Well. Ya. I’m going to do something about it. That's why you’re taking me to Hammer Tech remember? We’re going to find a way to counter whatever Ivan did to Rhodey and the other suits. Drive Faster!”

If it's possible, Happy grows more panicked, I wonder if maybe I should take the wheel.

“I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT JUSTIN HAMMER! I’M TALKING ABOUT THE HALF NAKED WOMAN WHO IS CHANGING IN THE BACK OF OUR CAR!” oh.   
  
“I got that under control Haps. You’ve gotta trust me. And then you can yell at me, and I'm sure you will, about how reckless I was and how your gonna keep me locked up in my room for months, and then I’ll get mad and start throwing icicles at you and then Pepper will get mad at both of us for trashing the house and...well you get the point.”

Nat and I rush out of the car once we see the door. Happy stumbles behind us.

“What’s going on?” he hisses as Nat unlocks the door. We hear the alarms going off as a security guard charges towards us. I nod at Happy, who gets my signal and Nat and I continue walking.  She attacks the first two guards with these sick electric thingies and they fall down unconscious almost immediately.

“Friday, scan the hallways and pinpoint the number of guards and their exact location. Nice outfit by the way,” I tell Nat as another two guards come charging at us.

“Thanks.  I like your suit too. Though I don't recall you having it on when we left the car.” She says, effortlessly knocking out her aggressor.

“My suit is lined with titanium alloy in the inside, much similar to Tony’s suit. It’s stored inside the gigantic emerald ring I wear. I scan my thumb and it morphs into my suit, very similar to the way Tony put on his suit back in Monaco.” I say, as I run towards the man in front of me and with a jump and a clean kick to the head, he’s out cold.  The pattern continues for a bit until all the security guards are lying on the floor (with the exception of the one hanging from the ceiling.)

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” her voice sounds curious and surprised, as if she can't believe that someone like me can fight like that.

“My aunt, Peggy Carter, taught me how to fight when I was 10, I have some practice. How about you?”

“Long story. So, one of S.H.I.E.L.D’s founders, who happens to be one of the greatest women ever, taught you how to fight and just happens to be your aunt?”

“Well, ya.” I kick open the door to the room which reveals a set of monitors and a trap door, with a bunch of wires hanging down from it. Oh... and no Ivan.

“Damn it! He got away.” My voice sounds frustrated as the image of my brother flying around with a gazillion replicas attacking him floods my head.

Natasha Romanoff gestures to the computers.

“Let’s save your brother’s ass.”  

** A Few Days Later  **

** No one’s Point Of View **

The two brunettes hug each other. She has a smile on his face while he pouts, his face resembling a child’s in every way. When they pull apart, the pout remains intact on his face.   
  
“I can't believe your leaving me for two weeks.” he says, his voice rising an octave.

“Technically, it's only 12 days to be exact. And I have to go. Not everybody has the heart to constantly ditch their responsibilities. I'm talking about you if you didn't understand. Don't give Pepper a hard time, speaking of Pepper; I'm glad the two of you finally got your act together. Rhodey called me and told me that the two of you were um...his words not mine, fighting over a grape which I'm gonna assume meant that you were kissing, but what I'm trying to say is that I'm happy for the two of you. But back to what I was saying before, don't give Pepper a hard time, cause if she calls me to complain about you, then I'm extending my time away for an extra week. And don't think that’s an empty threat Tony Stark. I will do it if I have to.” Even though she’s scolding him, her face morphs into a smile once again at the sulky expression he gives her.

“Alright, alright. Now board the plane before it leaves without you.”

“What’s the point of a private plane if it's going to leave without you.” She says, looking confused.

“That's what I always say!”

At the corner of her eye, she catches the faintest trace of scarlet. She turns back to her brother.

“Bye Tony, see you soon.” And with that, Tony Stark sulks to his car, driving away.

The redhead emerges from behind the pillar and walks towards the brown-haired woman.

“Where are you heading?” Natasha asks.

“I have this thing I have to do for Stark Med., where I visit our main research facilities in American. I’ll be visiting New Mexico, New York, and North Carolina.”  A flight attendant takes her bags and she smiles politely and thanks him.   
  
“Well, I guess I’ll see you around sometime.”

“Oh I bet you will. I'm actually sure that my brother will do something stupid and anger you’re um...agency and they will end up banging on the door at 2 am in the morning because Tony blew something up.” She finishes off with a chuckle.

The two friends laugh and hug their goodbyes as the super assassin disappears as quickly and as quietly as she came and the billionaire boards her plane to New Mexico.

 

To Be Continued...


	3. The God of Thunder (and Fury)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Liz, this is Thor. It's a long a complicated story, but this is Thor Odinson. Thor this is my friend Elizabeth Stark” And with that, I decided to go for the customary Asgardian welcome. I immediately seize her right hand and place a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. She freezes at first but then she laughs, the warmth that shone in her eyes now emerging out and striking everyone present. She reminds me of my mother, Frigga. I decide that I like this young maiden.

** Meeting the Team (Part 2)   
Thor **

****

** Liz **

            “Ms Stark.” 

I ignore the faint voice and remain in my perfect slumber, subconsciously adjusting my head on the pillow.

“Ms. Stark!”  The voice becomes louder and annoying. I grumble (subconsciously) and shift my position.

“ELIZABETH MARIA STARK. WAKE UP!”

The noise sends me shooting up, a scream scrambling up my throat. I compress it down once I distinguish my surroundings. I'm on my private plane (courtesy of my brother), my suitcases and bags placed beside me, the flight attendant across the room, and a very angry personal assistant standing in front of me. Charlotte Abigail McCoy (Charlie) is my personal assistant, Co-CEO, and best friend of 10 years.  None of those factors plays a role in preventing my icy glare from hitting her and _all_ of those factors play a role in her disregardance of said icy glare.  

“What in heaven’s world would prompt you to wake me up at such an ungodly hour? See what I did there. I just spoke with a tone of ancient godliness, which means that I do not want to be woken up at a time where almost everyone in the world is sleeping. Well not everyone, because the people who are living in the other side of the world are awake, but what I mean to say is that there is not one person in the world who would be awake if it was this time. What time is it anyway?” I rub my eyes tiredly. During the Stark Expo/Ivan/Whiplash drama, I’ve been lacking sleep; helping Tony with his projects. Since the ‘Tony was dying of Palladium poisoning” drama, I haven’t been able to get _any_ sleep, worrying about Tony and Rhodey and Pepper. So excuse me if during the first free time I get (in a long time), I spend it snoozing.

“It’s 2 p.m in the afternoon Liz. Get up.”   
That sobers me immediately.

“Oh shit!” I shoot up from my seat and make a mad dash to the bathroom (the luxurious, spacious bathroom that is so amazing, it should be illegal to have something like that on a plane).  I wash my face, comb my hair, and as I look in the mirror, I wonder whether I should put some makeup on.

“Hey Charlie!” I call out

“Ya?”

“Should I put makeup?”

“Hell no”

I smile and pat my face dry before changing into a green tank top and a pair of white shorts. I step out of my white platform pumps, and replace them with the strappy sandals I bought just a few days ago. Feeling refreshed and energized, I skip out of the bathroom to one solemn Ms. McCoy.

“Geez, what happened to your face? Not that you look terrible or anything, you look great. But you have this weird thing on your face. What do they call it? Oh, right. A frown.”

That earns me a slight smile, an apologetic one. Now it's my turn to frown.

“What’s up Charlie?”

“My grandmother just passed away.” She doesn’t outright say it, but the question is visibly there. She bites her lip and shifts from foot to foot.

“Well, then, my plane can directly take you to Savannah.”

“I can't go now, the inspection... you need me.”   
  
“Oh don't be silly. You have to go home and be with your family, they need you more than I do. I’ll be fine here. It's just a small inspection. I can handle it.”

            I spend the next few minutes reassuring her that I’ll be alright and that I can take care of myself (I can) and at the end, after a plenty of reassuring  (and threatening) I wave goodbye to my friend and watch as the plane (my private plane) flies away.    

 

** Thor **

            “Oh my god! Oh my god! She’s almost going to be here and the food hasn’t come in yet. How long does it take for a box of pizza to be delivered to the house?” Jane screams at the top of her lungs. Quite frankly, it is the first time I have ever seen her so disoriented.

From what I’ve understood from her whirlwind of words, is that she is going to be receiving an important visitor. Someone whom she holds deep affection for (a man?) and from what I'm seeing now, the guest will be arriving in any moment. Maybe I should welcome her (if it's a her) with the customary Asgardian welcome, or maybe at his arrival, I shall challenge him (if it so happens to be a him) to a duel to determine who is the worthiest man in the household (Selvig is already out).

            The house magically sings the arrival of the guest (doorbell) and Jane runs towards the door. I stiffen immediately as I await to witness the revealing of the mysterious figure. Instead, I am welcomed with a horrible racket of two females squealing in a pitch so high I wonder why the mirrors haven’t shattered yet.

Jane throws herself at the woman who does the same in return, and the two friends embrace for quite a long time, allowing me to observe the young maiden.

At first, nothing is visible but her long, curtain of dark hair. It falls in waves past her neck and shoulders and ends with the tips grazing her hips. Her chocolate eyes are striking against her fair skin and although she can't quite compete with Jane, she, in every sense is beautiful.

She makes her way in hugging every member of the household until she stands in front of me, her eyes confused and slightly wary but nevertheless warm. Jane places her hand on the maiden’s shoulder and says

“Liz, this is Thor. It's a long a complicated story, but this is Thor Odinson. Thor this is my friend Elizabeth Stark” And with that, I decided to go for the customary Asgardian welcome. I immediately seize her right hand and place a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. She freezes at first but then she laughs, the warmth that shone in her eyes now emerging out and striking everyone present. She reminds me of my mother, Frigga. I decide that I like this young maiden.

Her hand reaches out in an unfamiliar gesture.

“Nice to meet you Thor. You know, that’s a very unique name, I’ve never met someone who’s named Thor before. Is it short for something?”

I don't know what to do with the outstretched hand. Shall I kiss it again? I look at Jane for clarification and she demonstrates what I must do by grabbing Darcy’s hand, locking it with hers and shaking it, up and down. I don't get a chance to do that though, as the maiden’s eyes turn wide and her hand shoot back to its former position.

“Did you... did you just say Thor Odinson. As in the Norse God, Thor Odinson.”  Finally! Someone who understands who I am. Someone I can confide in. I pull her into a hug.

“You have no idea how much I am grateful for your recognition Lady Stark. It pains to be in a world where nobody knows you and they have no idea as to how to restore your power.”

She pushes back and when I look at the confusion and fear in her face, I wonder if I might have over reacted. She smoothes out her shirt and looks at me once again.

“First of all, you hug _hard_. Hard as in bone crushing, breath squeezing hard. Second of all, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!” She yells the last sentence at Jane.

Jane smiles at her, then at me (whenever she does, my breath stops for a minute) and proceeds to pull the dark haired woman out of the room.  “I’ll explain. Just not here.” And while she’s being dragged along, she turns back to me and gives me a wide, friendly smile.

I smile back.

 

** That Same Day (During the Night) **

** Liz **

            I unpack a few pairs of clothes and look at my phone resting on the bedside table. I wonder for the millionth time whether I should call Tony and tell him I just met a huge bulk of a man who claims to be a Norse God. And for the millionth time, I shake the thought away knowing that Tony will persistently call me from then on to gain information on Thor’s every move.”

“Uh. Excuse my intrusion Lady...” I scream and turn to face a stunned, open mouthed, wide-eyed Thor who is looking in shock at his frozen hands. I feel my eyes going wide.   
  
“ **YOU HAVE...** ”

“SHHHHHH” I place my finger on my lips and shush him and he mirrors my action, lowering his voice to a (somewhat) quiet whisper.

“You possess magic? Tell me Lady Stark, what dimension are you from?” What. The. Hell?

“No. No. I don't come from any dimension. I mean, I from this dimension, Earth. This whole magic, power thing, um, it was all an accident. It happened when I was born.” And I go on to explain the complete sad story that happened on the night I was born.

“I'm so sorry about the ice thing. My powers are never out of control. It's just...you scared me and I reacted by freezing you cause I guess I felt as if I was in danger or something. Not that I think you’re dangerous cause I know you’re not, it...I... you... you just surprised me.”

I look down at my hands and realize that they have been nervously interlocking and fiddling with each other, a habit I haven’t done since I was a kid. What the heck happened there? That has never happened before. Nothing, not any kind of fear, has ever sparked me to lose control of my powers and attack like that. When I look up at Thor, he has a reassuring smile on his face and I relax the slightest bit.

“No worries Lady Stark, that icy blast was nothing to me. Tell me, are you trained to use your powers for combat?”

“What. Oh no. The people I’ve been with have only ever shown me how to control them so that I’m not creating a vigorous, electrical blast every time I use my powers. They taught me how to compress it and my brother, Tony, was the one who helped me embrace it. I couldn’t fight someone using my powers if my life depended on it. I mean my aunt taught me physical combat skills but I have no idea how to use my powers to attack someone. But, I do know a little about _defending_ myself in case of an attack.”  

“How about I aid you in advancing your defence and offence.”

“You... why would you do that? Not that I don't appreciate it, I really do, but why?”

“Ever since I landed on this earth, I’ve felt lost, and without purpose. Now, by aiding you, I can feel as if my time on Earth would be some use to someone, anyone. So let’s start.”

“No, no, not today. Not right now. Jane and the others don't know about my powers. I prefer to keep it that way for now. How about tomorrow. My appointment is cancelled and everyone else will be out so we can learn tomorrow. If you’re still willing to teach me and if tomorrow is okay with you that is.”

 I’m excited to learn how to use my powers. Dad and mom tried to help, but mom was always worried that something would happen to me and dad was always so fascinated with the scientific aspect of my powers (there were none).  Tony tried but there was only so much he could do with an invisible force that was compressed inside me. So, when the opportunity came up, I took it.

“Tomorrow it is then. Goodnight Lady Stark.” Thor says as he exits my room

“Night Thor.”

 

** The Next Day  **

** Liz  **

****

            When I wake up, I feel giddy and excited. _I’m going to learn how to associate combat skills with my power from a God who has a major crush on my friend._

I quickly get dressed and sprint down the stairs and rush to the kitchen to bump into a very grumpy Erik (whose face looks like it's going to burst once I make him spill his coffee.).

“Sorry!” I yell behind my shoulders and turn just in time to dodge a tired Darcy, who I know has turned her head around to look at me confusedly at my weird behaviour. I turn my head around to confirm my suspicions, and I would have crashed into Jane if she didn't grab both my shoulders to stop me in my tracks.

“Whoa, slow down tiger. What’s got you so excited?”

“I...um...I...I have no work today. Ya. I'm free all day long. No boring business meetings, no nodding and smiling at  presenters when all I ever want them to do is shut up, no conversing about _my_ company with a bunch of people I have never met, and most importantly no high heels and tight skirts and fancy shirts.” I half lied ( _half)._

            “Well, the rest of us _do_ have work so, you’ll be alone today. Actually, you can spend the entire day with Thor; keep him company.” She gestures to the table, and for the first time, I notice the blond God sitting at the kitchen table. He gives me a smile and I smile back.

            We eat breakfast, chat, talk, chat and after an eternity, Jane, Darcy and Erik get into the death trap they call a car and drive away. By now, I am practically bouncing with excitement.

I turn to a highly amused Thor, “Ready?”

 

“So first of all, I have a question. What if you burn your skin by accident?”

“That’s why I have this suit.” While I say this, I scan my thumb on my ring and watch as the blue places itself on my skin. I look up to a bewildered Thor and before he can say anything, I interrupt him.

“No, it's not magic. Its technology and science. My brother made it for me because he was scared that I would get hurt when I used my powers. You see, the suit is basically a type of metal, combined together to make a ensemble. The top of the metal, like the outer part of the metal that we see, is covered with fabrics that cover it to make it look more aesthetically pleasing. But really, it's just flimsy, compressed metal that is placed methodically to make a suit that is stored inside my ring.” When I finish, Thor looks at me with such awe that I feel as if _I’m_ a God.

            We spend the next few hours practicing, and trying out new battle techniques. Since Thor has the ability to control lightning (or summons lighting), he has experience as to how to efficiently defeat ones opponent just enough to knock them out so that they won’t get back up for a few hours, which is exactly what I learn. During that time, we talk about our families, Earth, Asgard, and mostly about our brothers. I learn about his exile and his friends and receive a more humanly aspect of the great thunder God. I also learn about his hammer (Mi... something) and about the incident at S.H.I.E.L.D.  When Jane and company come back, they find us drinking orange juice in the kitchen and laughing like old friends.

            “You two seem cozy. What did you do all day?”

“Oh you know, just introduced him to Earth’s tech.”

I turn to see Thor holding in a laugh. I wink at him.

He falls to the ground hysterically laughing.

 

**** The Next Morning   
  


            The raven-haired female walks across the front lawn, hugging every single person who is standing at the doorstep. She embraces the brunette woman for a bit longer than the rest and I inch closer so that I can hear what they’re saying.

            “Call me once you reach New York, ok?” The brunette (let’s call her Mary) says.

“Promise. I’ll visit you soon. We’ll spend much more time together the next time.” The beautiful dark haired woman (I’m going to call her Jennifer) replies with a grin.  She looks at the blond haired (God-like) man (Justin), standing a few paces away from the rest, and slowly walks to him. 

            “ You know, I really hope your mother has a forgiving streak and invites you back home. But if she doesn’t, then I guess I’ll see you the next time we meet. If not, then thank you so much for teaching me all those amazingly cool tricks. “ Justin picks up Jennifer’s hand and places a kiss on the back of it. Weird.

            “Whether I go home or not, I will promise to visit your lovely chambers Lady Stark. And it isn’t goodbye. I’m sure we will meet again.” What the heck is this guy?

            Jennifer hugs Justin and gives a (final?) smile to the rest of the members of the house before getting into the car and driving away. It's then that Mary decides to notice me.   
  
“Can I help you?”

“Uh...oh ya right. Pizza Delivery.”

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

** New York City  **

** One of Stark Med Care Research Facilities  **

** Liz **

            “Excuse me Ms. Stark.” I look up to see the receptionist, Tanya, at my door. I sign the last page of my document and put my pen down.

“Yes.”

“There is a man here to see you. He goes by the name Phil Coulson.” 

Crap!

“Ya. Ok. Send him in.”  My heart thumps wildly in fear and panic. I wipe my sweaty palms on my burgundy dress and wait for what seems like hours before Phil (Can I call him Phil? No, let’s just go with Coulson in case) comes in.

“Ms. Stark, it's a...”

“What happened to Tony?” I scream. I literally scream in his face.

“Mr. Stark is perfectly alright. I’ve come to discuss you actually.”

“He’s ok. Oh, thank god he’s ok. I just thought that when you came in you...me...you want to discuss me. What about me?” I feel so self-conscience, as if Coulson is assessing my every breath.

“Not here Ms. Stark, we need to talk at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. I’ve actually come to get you.”

“No. No. I didn't mean ‘no, I won’t come’, I meant ‘no, I won’t come now.’ How about we schedule a time tomorrow? I have no work tomorrow, so it will be an appropriate time to meet because I'm not ditching work because some badass agency needs to talk to me. Some people have a life you know.”

Agent Coulson smiles at me patiently, it prompts me to add,   
“There is no way I’m leaving this facility unless you drag me out. And you should know Agent Coulson, it is not a good idea to use force on someone who can literally electrocute your balls.”

His expression doesn’t change, though I see a hint of respect in his eyes.

“Very well then, Ms. Stark. I’ll text you the address tomorrow.”

I don't even question why the he happens to have access to my number.

“See you tomorrow Agent Coulson.”

“Call me Phil.” He says as he exits.

“Call me Liz!” I yell loud enough for him to hear me through the lucid glass doors.

 

** The Next Day **

** Nick Fury **

            “Sir, Ms. Stark is here.” I nod towards the agent.

“Send her to room 305.”

“Yes Sir.”

            I walk into room 305, the same room I met with another Stark a few days ago. Unlike the former Stark that was in this room, this one is patiently waiting, her hands crossed on her lap. When she hears my footsteps, she turns around looks at me (doesn’t pause for a second longer at my eye patch) and smiles. I continue walking to the chair at the other side of the table she’s sitting on and take a seat.

            “Ms. Stark, I’m...”

“Fury. You um...met with my brother. The Avengers Initiative right? Oh, and you can call me Liz. Ms. Stark seems so formal.” I do all I can to compress the smile that is about to form on my face.

“Right, I suppose that Stark has informed you of the Avengers?”   
She smiles at me sheepishly before answering,

“Well ya. It's not Tony’s fault though, you see he usually tells me about most of the things going on in his life and well, he kinda found you very... interesting, so uh... me and Pepper know a lot about the little project your setting up. Am I part of it?”

“Yes. If you want to be. If you are willing to commit to it.”

“When you mean willing to commit to it, do you mean be at your beak and call 24/7? Because if so, then I'm out. I'm not giving up my entire life for your pet project Mr. Fury. I’m a doctor, I run a company, I have responsibilities, and you can't expect me to answer to you whenever you want.”

Natasha’s assessment of this woman was spot on.

“No Ms. Stark, I don't expect you to be at my beak and call. The world needs some saving, and I need a team to do it. I want you to be a part of that team. Your responsibilities outside of that team will be fulfilled but you also have a responsibility to your purpose as Tricity too.”

She looks at me; I see her trying to fight a smile.

“I’m in. I’m sorry if this is rude, but you’re really serious. Not that the world in danger is not something serious, it's just...you are by far the most solemn person I have ever met. I don't mean that as an insult. I really don't.” Her eyes are wide with panic; as if she worries she somehow offended me.

“No problem Ms. Stark but if you’re going to run a... what did you call it? A ‘badass agency’, you’re going to have to be solemn.”

“That sucks. Hey, do you mind if I look around here, like, this building? I won’t touch or break anything, I swear. I just want to look around, I’ve been to New York too many times and I have a whole free day so I thought I could just explore your facility. I won’t be a bother, and it's ok if you don't want me here, it really is.”

“Just wait here Ms. Stark; I’ll get an agent who can take you around.” Her smile is as wide as a kid on Christmas morning and the smile that has been threatening to break out finally does and I comm. an agent as I head towards the door.

“Hey Mr. Fury?” I turn to face her.

“Thank You. For saving my brother when he was dying from palladium poisoning. Thank you for giving him that video, for giving him that box, for saving his life. You have no idea how grateful I am for that. You didn't have to do it, no matter what you say, you didn't have to do it. But you did. So thank you. Thank you so much.”

She smiles at me once again. Her smile is warm, and kind and friendly. Come to think about it, everything about her is warm and friendly. I nod at her as an idea begins to form in my head. I spot the agent I have asked to take Stark on a tour and call him over. I speak quietly so that the conversation can only be heard by the two of us.

“Where is Mr. Rogers?”

“At the Gym Sir.”

“Then that is Ms. Stark’s first stop”

 


	4. Rogers and Stark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two feelings; both foreign; yet so welcoming I want to jump in the air and laugh. When my hand encompasses hers, a spark shoots up my arm eventually transforming to a warm honey like feeling that flows through me. Warmth. For the first time in 70 years, I feel warm. She must have felt it too, as her eyes go wide and she quickly recoils her hand away from mine and I miss the warmth as cool air fills the room. I realize that she had introduced herself and is currently waiting for me to the same.

** Meeting the Team (Part 3)   
Steve Rogers (Captain America) **

_Previously...  
Fury_

I nod at her as an idea begins to form in my head. I spot the agent I have asked to take Stark on a tour and call him over. I speak quietly so that the conversation can only be heard by the two of us.

“Where is Mr. Rogers?”

“At the Gym Sir.”

“Then that is Ms. Stark’s first stop”

 

** Steve Rogers **

****

The punching bag violently swigs back and forth with every punch I throw at it.

_70 years. I’ve been asleep for 70 whole years._

The anger boils back up, and I punch the bag with an additional force and I know it's only a matter of time before this one ends up broken and battered (like all the rest).

This has been my method of dealing with my emotions. I wake up, eat breakfast, go to the gym, ruin a punching bag, eat lunch, take a nap, ruin another punching bag, watch the news, get lost in my thoughts, eat dinner, ruin another punching bag (S.H.I.E.L.D can afford it) and go to sleep. The last time I’ve stepped out of this building was during my panic-stricken escape from the terrible role-play S.H.I.E.L.D had created. The last thing I remember before that was crashing into the Arctic after talking to Peggy.

_Peggy. Howard. Bucky. I miss them all. They’re all gone (probably). Now I'm here. I'm all alone._

I shiver. It's too cold in here. I asked Fury to turn down the air conditioning on the first day of my...awakening. Then, I asked him to turn on the heater, put it at full blast. However, ever since getting out of that ice (or going into it), I’ve only ever felt cold. My insides feel frozen, as if I never really came out of the frozen block. As if, I'm still stuck in there. In fact, I don't remember the last time I ever felt warmth, I don't even think I remember what warm feels like. A scream bubbles up my throat. I let it out as I give one final punch at the poor bag and the force of the punch frees the bag of its restraints and it goes flying into the air at the same time the door opens.

I about to call out a warning, but it’s too late, as the punching bag hurls itself towards the person that just walked through the door. She ducks down just in time for the bag to go soaring above her head and it lands on the floor. I'm pretty sure her eyes go wide as the spins on her heels and stares at the battered bag for a few long seconds. I’m about to apologize to her, but then she turns back around to look at me, and for a minute I forget to breathe.

Her long, dark hair is pulled and clipped back, which gives me a clear view of her face. Her skin is fair and flawless, emphasizing her large, brown, doe-like eyes, which are staring at me in wonder. Without even pausing to think about how impolite my actions are, my eyes move down to spot a small button nose, and pink parted lips that look incredibly soft and tempting. My eyes continue to roam down of their own accord and assess her frame (She’s wearing a pink dress that falls to her knees and moulds her frame perfectly). The only way to describe it is _petite._ She’s small, she’d only be able to reach up to my chin, and her frame makes her look fragile and sensitive and I’m afraid I will crush her when I hold her. _Wait. Hold her?_

_Control your thoughts Rogers._

I direct my eyes to her face to find her previously flawless complexion tainted with a cherry blush that has taken control over her cheeks and ears. When my eyes crash hers, she quickly looks away, turning her gaze to the wall and... _talks to it.?_

She turns to face me once more, and proceeds to walk towards where the punching bag had once hung.  She looks at me with a hint of humour in her eyes.

“That's some punch. I’ve never seen someone punch a punching bag off its hook before, all the while making it look so bruised that _I_ feel more sympathetic for the punching bag than I feel for your poor hand. Which reminds me by the way, how is your hand. I mean it must ache if you punched that hard, wouldn’t it?  Oh, and sorry if I interrupted a moment. Cause uh... you looked like you were having this huge moment and this is totally random stranger walks in the room, and you can't even yell at her cause you have no idea who the hell she is and...and you have no idea who I am and I just walk up to you and start rambling like some crazy person who...um... I should stop... I'm... I'm Elizabeth. Nice to meet you.”

For the first time in a long time, I want to smile. She puts forth her hand and I reach out to grab it. When my hand touches hers however, I stifle a gasp.

Two feelings; both foreign; yet so welcoming I want to jump in the air and laugh. When my hand encompasses hers, a spark shoots up my arm eventually transforming to a warm honey like feeling that flows through me. _Warmth._ For the first time in 70 years, I feel warm. She must have felt it too, as her eyes go wide and she quickly recoils her hand away from mine and I miss the warmth as cool air fills the room.  I realize that she had introduced herself and is currently waiting for me to the same.

“It’s Steve ma’am, a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for the punching bag, did it hurt you?”

“Oh. Um no. No it didn't. But uhhh, you must be having one horrible day if you were prompted to punch the bag so hard it fell of the chain. Can a punching bag even do that? Or did Nick Fury just decide that he was done with paying for high class, tip-top, punching bags? Cause that would make much more sense.”

She’s a talker. She just spoke about 60 words in one whole breath. She probably notices my shock because she quickly (after taking a gulp of air) goes on to say,

“I'm sorry. I talk too much. It's a habit that I have trouble getting rid of. I talk excessively when I'm nervous though. Not that you make me nervous. It's just I was expecting something other than a blond, blued-eyed man who can literally hurt me with a pinkie, punching a bag so hard it fell off and went flying through the air. Which prompts me, how can you send a punching bag flying? I...um...I don't think that’s... technically possible.” Great, how do I get out of this one? _Just tell her Rogers!_

The clearing of a throat saves me as we both turn around and notice (for the first time) a S.H.I.E.L.D agent standing at the door looking a bit uncomfortable. Ever since I woke up, I’ve been trying to befriend at least one S.H.I.E.L.D agent but the ones I’ve met so far are all so vague and reserved, not even bothering to tell me their names. Elizabeth has been the only agent (Fury and Coulson don't count as agents) that has spoken more than a sentence with me.

Elizabeth apologetically smiles at the awkward red head that stands at the door, adjusting his glasses while shifting from foot to foot.

            “Oh My God! Sorry bout that Mike. I totally forgot you were there. Not that I forgot you, I just got distracted with Steve and the punching bags and angry man and stuff. I'm sorry.”

She turns to me,

“Mike is my personal tour guide. Fury assigned him to tour me around the place and the poor guy has to put up with all my chatter and words and still be polite and smile.”

They say that eyes are the windows to a soul. She is the solid proof of that statement. Her eyes are a rich chocolate brown that fills with emotions that mix with the ever-present mirth.

            “Oh. I’m sorry Ms...Elizabeth, I just got a call, they need my help in the tech department. Fury’s orders. I'm sorry.”

Disappointment fills the brown orbs but as quickly as it came; it disappears, replacing itself with understanding.

“No, No. That’s fine. You go ahead and do your job. I’ll just see myself out. Thank you for showing me around though Mike, I really appreciate it.”

“Miss, I just took you to the gym. We didn't even start.”

“Well, then, thank you for traveling four floors up in a small elevator while listening to me ramble, then trying to explain S.H.I.E.L.D to me and answering my 47 questions, all the while keeping an eye on me so that I don't get lost in this maze you called an office. I mean I used to think that the Tower was big, but this. This here is the most enormous thing I have ever seen. It's literally the size of a small city. How much did it cost to build this? Billions probably, I mean are these one side glasses? And all the tech. Tony would flip when he sees all this amazing tech. it's almost too real to be true.”

She keeps rambling, not noticing that the agent (Mike) had slipped out of the room once she finished saying thank you (which was very rude of him). She stops mid sentence and looks at me with a sheepish smile.

“Guess I scared him away.”

“Well, it was great meeting you Steve, I guess I’ll see you sometime, if I ever come by.”

She’s saying goodbye. The thought fills me with dread. She can't say goodbye now, she just got here, I just had a few minutes of warmth, she can't leave now. An idea hits me.

“Wait! Why don't I show you around?”

“What. I mean I heard you. But...really?”

“Ya. I have nothing to do today. So I might as well take up the job of being your personal tour guide of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

She beams at me. I feel the corners of my mouth pushing up in a smile. _A smile._ My first smile in 70 years.

** Elizabeth  **

            “So... how long have you worked for S.H.I.E.L.D?” I ask him as we walk through the empty corridors if the building.

I’m convinced that Steve is S.H.I.E.L.D’s new project, used to entice villainous woman and men into a trap to promote peace. Because there is no possible way, that anybody could be _that_ perfect.

He reminds me of a hero you would find in a 90’s romantic movie. He’s chivalrous; holding doors and taking the term ‘ladies first’ quite literally. He’s polite and respectful, listening to my chatter with avid interest (something only Tony’s ever done) and asking questions as if my wild rant interests him. And let’s not get started on his looks...

He looks like he walked out of some celebrity magazine. He’s tall; he towers over me exceptionally and is at least a head taller than I am. The man is made up of muscles and abs, the t-shirt that enunciates his broad shoulders and strong, but lean frame is all the proof I need to confirm my theory. His face looked like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael all came together to create a masterpiece and the result was this man’s face. When you add the chiselled jawline, the tousled golden hair, and the ocean blue eyes, he could make any girl faint. Hell, I almost did when I saw him for the first time.

In my careful assessment, I forgot that I had asked the agent a question. I look up to him once more and see him hesitating. I remember that the agents working in S.H.I.E.L.D were very confidential with matters on their jobs and I wonder if the same applies for Steve.

“I guess you can say I'm fairly new. I have a lot experience though, which is why Fury...um...hired me.”

“Oh, were you like a secret agent or something. Were you part of the FBI?”

“No...”

“Oh my God! Do they give you cool suits and code names? Do you have the thing-a-majigers that can listen through walls? Wait. Are you married? Does your wife work for an opposing company, which is why you quit the FBI? Cause you don't want a repeat of what happened in Mr. And Mrs. Smith? Because if so, then I totally understand. Having your house blown up is really traumatic, especially if you and your wife have this intense shootout to try to assassinate each other”

  I walk and talk, my crazy theories falling into place as my string of words constructs. I turn to look at Steve, and come face to face with the paleness of the baby blue wall. I turn around to see a stumped looking Steve, standing right behind me, his mouth slightly open.

An apology is forming in my mouth when his smiles the slightest of smiles (that astounds me. I wonder if I will die when he laughs) and amusement fills his oceans (eyes).

“I wasn’t part of the FBI; my story is much more...complicated.”

I sense an unwillingness to share so I think of a way to change the topic.

“What’s our next stop? Wait, are you busy? Am I taking up your time? Cause I'm really thankful that you dealt with me for this long, if you have to go back to work, then I could leave.”

“No. No.” He quickly responds.

“The only reason I asked to show you around was because I had nothing much to do. And plus, I can spare some time for a lovely dame.”

I giggle at his form of classification ( _dame_ ) and feel a blush creep up my cheeks, I swear I’ve blushed more today than I ever have in my whole life!

 

We spent the day walking around S.H.I.E.L.D, playing with tech equipment, and mostly talking. Well, I did most of the talking; Steve was quiet and reserved, opting to speak when prompted. He talked about his best friend Bucky, his mom and about his immense infatuation over motorcycles. I shared about Stark Med Care (though I referred to it as the hospital I worked in), Charlie and Tony. Actually, I shared a lot about Tony, in fact, most of our conversation was about my older brother (if you consider me rambling on and on about my brother and him listening with rapt attention a conversation).

 

The elevator doors open and we ride in silence all the way down, the transparent glass of the mechanism allowing us to observe the small figures rushing about. I turn and notice Steve bluntly staring at me. It's unsettling, as if I’m an artefact on display, the way he scrutinizes me and I feel yet another flow of heat at my cheeks. I abruptly turn away from him and stare out the glass to meet the eyes (eye) of Nick Fury.

He stares at me and then his gaze goes to Steve, who has moved closer towards me, but kept his eyes locked on his careful task (assessing me).  The look Fury has on his face is perturbing; it's a look I’ve seen on my brother’s face right before he blows something up in his lab, it's the look that indicates that he’s up to something, and that its probably  gonna be great, or end up in shatters. Right now, the famous ‘Tony Stark brews trouble’ look is plastered on Fury’s face and it worries me. However, I smile at him and wave and as if he didn't see me, he walks away.  The elevator doors open.

That's when I spot it. It shines like a rich coloured emerald among thousands of diamonds, my heart beats as my eyes scan the familiar sight in front of me and I break into a smile so hard, it hurts.

“OH MY GOD! THE ICE CREAM TRUCK” I scream so loudly, Steve jumps and flinches and a few agents passing by stares at me, one even going far enough to spill his coffee.

**Steve**

“OH MY GOD! THE ICE CREAM TRUCK” I jump up on instinct but relax almost immediately and send the agents passing by an apologetic look.

I turn to Elizabeth, the smile on her face is so big, and the happiness radiating from her is so contagious I smile back. She turns to me, and I am once again struck by her beauty.

“Let’s go Steve! The ice cream truck doesn’t wait forever! I haven’t had an ice cream from the truck in ages. Please please please, let’s go!”

She grabs my hand and drags me towards the large doors that introduce the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. I get the odd feeling that I'm being watched and turn to see a smug Fury who gives me a nod. Before I can give myself time to process the fact that Nick Fury was spying on me, I feel a warm breeze tickle my face.

The last time I was out here, (my ‘I melted from a 70 year thaw’ panic attack) I was too scared and perplexed to see any good, any beauty in the world around me. Now as I walk beside a woman who is skipping (quite literally) towards the ice cream truck (I know what an ice cream truck is. I’ve had agents come over and explain almost everything that I’ve missed) with a bright grin, her long hair bouncing as she walks along the sidewalk, I look around in wonder and awe.

From what I’ve learned about her from her extremely fascinating ramblings, is that she is a surgeon who works at a hospital (Stark Med Care) in Malibu. Her best friend’s name is Charlie and she’s always wanted a kitten but couldn’t get one because her father was allergic to cats (this reminded me of Howard, who was also allergic to cats.) During her rambling, her brother, Tony, came up often. It was clear through the way she spoke about him, that he plays a valuable role in her life. She talked about him with utmost pride and love and it reminded me of Bucky.

We both walk across the street and I look in fascination at the automotives and buildings, but she has eyes only for the brightly coloured truck that is parked in the secluded area (which is really wired, why would a ice cream truck be parked in front of a secret agency headquarters?).

She knocks on the window and a man pokes his head out, he grumpily tells her something and whatever it was, it wipes the childish excitement right off her face. She turns to me and pouts, and I hint a bit of disappointment.

“Well who would have guessed? I mean, I should have guessed, it just didn't make any sense if I think about now as to why there would be an ice cream truck parked in front of S.H.I.E.L.D. The truck is just a cover. Darn it, I really wanted ice cream from the truck. There just this different savour from buying an ice cream cone from an ice cream truck.”

“Hey, you know what? The next time I see you, I’ll buy you an ice cream cone from the truck. It’ll be my treat.” I say, hoping to make her feel better.

She giggles once more, but this time her smile seems more bitter than sweet.

“Ya. If there’s a next time, then you can buy me an extra large cone of chocolate ice cream. But um... I think I should be heading home now. I’m leaving for Malibu tomorrow and I need to pack.”

I smile sadly, understanding her bitter smile; this is good-bye.

“Thank you. For um...showing me around. I had a great time.”

“No. Thank you, I... hadn’t had the leisure of a nice talk in a long, long time.”

“Bye Steve.”

Good day, Elizabeth”

She gives me a final smile and turns to walk away. I rub my hands together, noticing for the first time how chilly the wind was.


	5. You Know Him?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I might have also met Thor Odinson in New Mexico and he might have been staying with Jane Foster whom I was staying with so we might have talked and became friends and he might have taught me how to control my powers and use it more expertly and we might have talked about work and Asgard and Loki and you and he might have promised to visit us soon and I might have offered for him to stay with us in the Stark Tower

~~~~

THE AVENGERS

YOU KNOW HIM?

 

** Steve Rogers **

 

“I’m not the one that’s out of time.”

On cue, the Hellicarrier (the big complex ship I’ve never understood) comes into view. Natasha’s voice floats through the air as an enormous machine gun aims itself at Loki.

“Loki, drop the weapon and stand down”

Though I haven’t yet comprehended the use and functions of modern day weaponry to my full ability, I’m thankful for the huge gun, as I see a flash of fear go through Loki’s eyes, which prompts him to strike the aircraft with his spear (or the magic coming out of it) and I faintly acknowledge the Hellicarrier making a violet jolt, and stumbling across the sky before righting itself.

The attack on the aircraft was an enough distraction for people to start running, wailing and screaming, causing a chaos to erupt among the once quiet area. The attack was all the distraction _I_ need as I aim my shield at Loki and it hits him square on the chest, but instead of doing any damage and knocking down my opponent (although it does shake him off his balance a bit), it bounces back towards me and I grab it with ease.  I run up to him and punch him. I realize that I have forgotten my limitless strength as Loki strikes his face back in response to my blow and I can hear the cracking of teeth.

Now, I am faced with a super angry God who raises his staff in an attempt to strike me.  My reflexes kick in and I instinctively put up my shield as a...shield. The next few days (minutes), is composed of the back and forth combat between the God and me. It was clearly indistinguishable as to who won, as we both did a fair share of dodging (me) and throwing each other on the ground (Loki to Me). So as I said, it was a tie.

Our fighting is paused when a loud palpable noise fills the air. It's a mixture of wild firecrackers as it zooms up the air, and the intense rush of a waterfall as it falls to the ground.

 I (we) look up to the air to see exactly what I had mentioned; a firecracker and a waterfall. Iron Man (Tony Stark, who just happens to be my dead friend’s son) lands on the pavement, ultimately crushing it to small debris (now someone is going to have to spend time and money to fix it). On the other hand, Tricity (Elizabeth Stark, who also happens to be the daughter of the same dead friend and the beautiful woman I met recently) sweeps Loki off his feet onto her river of water and drops him down so that Stark can shoot him with his...built in bomb? All this happens in a matter of a few seconds so it's no wonder that the God of Mischief looks surprised when he finds himself being blasted on the ground by a man in a metal suit. The calm waterfall is nowhere to be seen and I am left with the burning firecracker. I watch in awe as a series of weapons emerge from the suit and aim itself at Loki.

“Your move Reindeer Games” the robotic voice says.

I see the defeat cross Loki’s eyes as his extravagant suit is replaced by a slightly less extravagant suit and he puts his hands up.

“Nice move.” I’m starting to get a bit freaked out by the voice that comes out of the suit. I acknowledge the man (robot) beside me.

“Mr Stark”

“Captain”

 

** Elizabeth **

I drop the...God off (that sounds funny) at Tony’s feet and talk into my comm.

“You got this under control?”

“Yep.” Comes my brother’s modified tone.

“Great. Imma’ pop by Nat and say hello. I’m also gonna find a way to stabilize her aircraft since it's clearly not stable. It’s a miracle she’s even able to fly this thing. It is practically broken. And it was just one strike. Whatever is powering Loki’s...magical staff thingy, it contains an excessive amount of power to do damage to a huge aircraft with just one hit. Wait. I can kinda guess how Nat can fly this thing since the damage only cracked the armour of the Hellicarrier and not really broke it. So maybe if I can just...”

I fly closer to the wing to get a better look.

“Friday, give me measurements for the gap.”

“1.02 inches in width, 5.82 inches in depth, and 10.52 inches in length Ms.Stark.”

“Thank You.” I fill the gap with ice (my ice doesn’t melt) and fly away just in time before the aircraft shifts.

I fly to where I guess the door is, and knock (bang) on the metal frame. It slowly opens, the mechanic buzzing drowned out by the scream of the propellers. I walk into the impressively designed aircraft and I feel a smile threatening to break out (not that any of this is amusing. The whole God in possession of a powerful weapon situation isn’t not something I find funny) as I spot the familiar red head at the pilot’s seat.

“Miss me?”

She turns to face me and I see the faintest of smiles on her face.

“Nope. Not at all.”

I help myself to the seat behimd the pilot, remove my gloves, and place them on my lap.

“You know, I was absolutely sure we were gonna meet again, but I kind of envisioned a more...subtle meeting compared to this. I mean, some Norse God with a contraption that has an infinite amount of power!  Earth gets itself into some really deep shit. “

“Well, you know what they say. Duty Calls.”

“Ya...but not to sound selfish or anything, but, this isn’t really my duty. I mean, I’m fine with...I want to save Germany from an Alien, but technically, I’m not a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. So this, all of this, it isn’t my duty.”

“Wait, you’re not a S.H.I.E.L.D agent? I thought Fury was planning on making you one.”

“Oh ya. He was. He did bring up the offer. I’m the one that refused. My dad was part of S.H.I.E.L.D and well, he was kinda one of the founders, but I remember it consuming a lot of his time. Maybe it was because of his position or maybe it was the never-ending source of evil that continued to threaten us, but all I remember is him constantly stressing on about this villain and that project and this study and that weapon. The occupation completely devoured him. And I already have enough priorities with me running Stark Med and babysitting my big brother, I don't need to add Nick Fury’s rock and roll band to that list.”

That gets out a laugh from the redhead (or her form of a laugh, which is a cross between a smirk and a chuckle) and she shakes her head with amusement.

“You know, people might not be able to point it out at first, but you and Stark are not at all that different.”

“You know, you might not be able to point it out at first, but I _am_ Stark.”

She’s about to say something, but I interrupt her.

“I get what you mean; I was just joking around with you. In fact, I don't think anyone has called me Stark before. They’ve called me Ms. Stark, but never... _Stark. “_

“Yep. Right here, reporting for duty?”

I turn around to see my brother and Steve, walking into the ship. Behind them sulks a cuffed Loki, who looks so miserable I would feel a bit sympathetic if he didn't have the pout of a spoiled child on his face (and kill many innocent people.) I walk up to the trio.

“Everything ok?”

My brother removes his mask and places it on the broad ledge that I didn't notice when I myself entered the ship.

“Peachy”

The smile Tony gives me suggests otherwise, as for the first time in a long time, he seems overwhelmed. He seizes Loki and forcefully seats him on a harness seat and gets to work on tying him up. Now, I have no choice but to acknowledge the other presence in the room (ship).

“Should I call you Steve or Captain? Cause I kinda didn't know that you were _the_ Captain America last and first time we met since you clearly forgot to tell me, and I called you Steve. So now am I expected to call you Captain or Captain Rogers or...Captain America or something?”

I feel my nose and eyebrows ever so slightly furrow as they usually do when I'm slightly pissed at someone. And since Steve Rogers didn't think it was important to mention the fact that he was a superhero from another century (I helped Tony with his ‘homework’), I think I have the right to be slightly pissed. And maybe I went from 10 percent pissed to 5 percent pissed when the Captain (Ya. Um...never calling him that. I tried it in my head and it sounds awful so I’m never calling him that) smiles, making cute crinkles around his eyes.

“It’s still Steve, Liz. I don't expect or want you calling me Captain.” I’m about to say something but he beats me to it.

“And in my defence, you didn't tell me you were Tricity so I think we’re even here.”

I open my mouth to speak once more but _Tony_ beats me to it.

“Lizzie. Explain. Now”

Since I haven’t spoken in the last...few seconds, my answer is **somewhat** long.

“Well you see...I went to New York. Remember for that horrible tour thing where I have to visit the facilities for Stark Med and attend those horrible meetings? Well and ya, I went to the one in New York where Phil ambushed me, well, not exactly ambushed me. He knocked on the door, I ambushed him cause I was worried about you but it turns out that he came to see me and I don't even know why I'm telling you this story since you know all the Nick Fury, Avenger crap but I might have left out the rest of the story cause I didn't really think it was important until we did your homework today. So well, Fury offered...no I asked for a tour and Fury said yes and the tour guide took me to the gym and Steve was punching bags then Steve broke the bag and then the bag went flying through the air and then I felt bad for the poor bag cause the bag did not deserve to die but then we said hello and stuff, not the bag and I but Steve said hello to me or I said hello to him and since my tour guide Mike or something had a situation in the tech lab, Steve offered to give me the tour and he did and we talked ...a lot, mostly about you and not about the fact that I was a Stark and he was Steve Rogers and ya...”

When I finish my load of bullshit, the aircraft is extremely silent for a very long time and I wonder if maybe I spoke too much. I also wonder if Loki is suicidal when he says,

“Hm. Tell me. Were you gifted with an extra set of lungs as a replacement for your lack of brains?”

I think of a way to (politely) tell him to shut up, but my brother beats me to it (again).

“You better shut your mouth reindeer, or I'm gonna use every single weapon in my suit and fire at you.”

That shut him up.

He looks at me, I internally prepare myself for the upcoming lectures about keeping secrets, and as I prepare for said lecture, I think of possible defences to justify my actions. However, I must be real lucky today, as the lecture never comes due to a weird and sudden lightning that streaks and illuminates the sky. Where the hell did that come from?

“Where is this coming from?” Natasha voices my thoughts (literally).

“Is that you?” Tony asks me

I shake my head in declination as I stare at my hands not feeling the familiar tingle that I usually get when using my powers.

The aircraft makes a sudden jolt as it harshly slants at an angle and I find myself tumbling and sliding before a familiar warm hand grabs my arm, sending shivers down my spine. Steve tugs me in and I right myself by holding the ledge.

“Thanks.”

“No problem ma’am.”

“It's Liz. Ma’am makes me sound...sombre and sophisticated” I make a face.

He laughs in return which is more of a chuckle than a laugh. I cling onto the ledge tighter as the plane once again inclines. This time it slants so much, that I’m pretty sure we’re absolutely vertical.

“My co-pilot is down; he got knocked out when Loki hit him. Any of you know how to fly this thing?”  Natasha’s voice sounds strained and tense. I quickly scan the operating panel and sigh in relief when I see the familiar buttons and functions.

“I’ll do it.”

“You know how to fly a Hellicarrier.” It’s a statement, but I can guess she meant it as a question from the slight raise of her eyebrows.

“Well, the only way you’re going to steal your brother’s private jet for a weekend in Hawaii is if you fly the jet by yourself. Or else the pilot will tell your brother and the next thing you know, you’re have to sit through an eleven-hour flight with said brother who will make you want to jump out the plane. So, I have mastered the art of flying planes ever since I started having the urge to get far, far away from Tony.” 

Natasha and Steve smirk and Tony glares in my direction while I make my way to the seat beside Natasha and grab the yoke as I tilt the gadget the to the left to straighten the aircraft as another streak of lightning lights the sky, nearly striking our ship.

As I try to fly an aircraft that has one side (my side) that is practically ruined, I try to tune into the events happening behind me as I faintly hear Steve and Tony murmuring in the background.

As the lightning strikes again, Steve addresses Loki,

“What’s the matter? Are you scared of a little lighting?”

“I’m not overly fond of what follows”

That is followed by another flash of lightning that barely misses the ship, but the force and energy of the bolt, sends the ship shaking all over again. An idea pops into my head when the lightning reminds me of another (friendly) alien God who also has the ability to control lightning (but won’t ever come here because he’s back in Asgard).

“I have an idea. I can try to oppress the lightning.”

“Your helping me fly the Hellicarrier. You can't go out there.”

“Ya I know. I’m gonna try to stifle the lightning without going out there, I'm gonna do it in my head.  My powers are _trained_ to come out of my hand because it's the easiest way to direct their movements, but technically, I can control it any way I want. So if I focus enough, I can find a way to absorb the power from the lightning so it won’t electrically charge the ship.”

“Never knew you could do that.” My brother’s tone sounds suspicious. I turn around and smile at him.

“Been learning a few new tricks.”

We hear the rumble of thunder and I keep my eyes trained on the sky to spot the familiar blue stripe. Once I see it, I glue my eyes on it and focus, drowning out the weird commotion going on behind me and ignoring the harsh wind on the back of my neck. As I feel the power charging into me, I open my eyes to find the aircraft completely empty and turn to Natasha for clarifications. To my surprise, I’m faced with six Natashas, all spinning around and around.

“Hey Nat...” I can't hear myself, but when the Natashas turn to face me, I know I haven’t lost my capability of speaking.

“I’m gonna faint. Sorry.”

And then... Darkness.

 

** Tony  **

After Hammer Bammer, Capsicle and I came to an agreement that was (somewhat) calmly and civilly made; we took Loki and made our way to the Hellicarrier that will take us to S.H.I.E.L.D to determine our next course of action. We step into the aircraft and I cognitively prepare myself for a scolding on rash behaviours and impulsive, dangerous actions.

However, I lose my footing and almost fly straight towards the ground when I see my sister unconscious; lying beside someone who I presume is the co-pilot. Jarvis must have noticed because he unlocks the suit, opening it so that I can walk out. I didn't even realize that I ran towards Lizzie until I find myself beside her quicker than usual.

“What happened?”

“The subduing of the lightning took a toll on her. She’ll wake up in a second.” Natashalie says indifferently as usual. I control my racing heartbeat and cloak my panic as I send a glare at her.

The commotion wakes her up and she sits up and looks around with one eye, her hand rubbing the other, a habit she picked up from my mom. She looks up at me and smirks.

“Ouch”

Not caring about the audience, my arms involuntarily go around her, engulfing her in a hug, which she reincorporates.

“You okay.”

“Peachy.” She repeats my words.

I guess she notices the tension that strains the room because she says,   
“What happened?”

She looks around the aircraft and I notice the way her eyes light up with recognition and surprise.

“Thor!”

She leaves my arms and runs into Hammer’s and for a second I wonder if maybe, she lost her mind, then, I notice that Hammer Time seems to share her happiness.

“It is truly a pleasure to see you again Lady Stark. I do believe that I have beaten your brother in combat, I do apologize.”

“Oh, don't worry bout that, he needs to get his ass kicked sometimes. I’m guessing your dad forgave you. Oh. And uh...you really need to visit Jane; she’s been a monster looking for you.”

“Yes Lady Stark, my father has forgiven me, and I have acknowledged my wrongdoings. But I must go home, I have come here to collect my brother and bring him to Asgardian Justice.”

“You broth...OH MY GOD! That’s why his name sounded so familiar, cause he’s your brother. What the hell Thor! You said your brother was kind and loving and _slightly_ mischievous. So it's either you have really horrible judgemental skills OR killing people is your form of kind and caring, and please don't tell me it's the second one, cause that would really suck for me since your my friend and we displayed our friendly affection in front of my brother and your brother and my dad’s friend and my brother’s ex-assistant.”

“Loki’s true light was revealed after you left. I am not a bad judge nor am I a murderer.”

“Lizzie...” I finally decide to speak and I watch as my sister sheepishly grins at me.

“I might have also met Thor Odinson in New Mexico and he might have been staying with Jane Foster whom I was staying with so we might have talked and became friends and he might have taught me how to control my powers and use it more expertly and we might have talked about work and Asgard and Loki and you and he might have promised to visit us soon and I might have offered for him to stay with us in the Stark Tower.”

“Might?” I say, right before I grin at her.

“Might.” She replies playfully.

“Alright, we are approaching our destination. We’ll land in about 5 minutes.” Natashalie says.

I look at Lizzie who gives me a nod and scans her thumb on her ring (I am pretty proud of that invention) and I walk into the suit. She opens the ramp and faces the rest of the crew,

“Well that’s our cue. I’ll see you guys soon. Adios Amigos.” And with that, she flies away.

I jump out and follow her. Like I always do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Oh Brother!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Bruce leave the room, but a few seconds later the former remerges and strides to his sister, dragging her along, chair and all.  
> “I’m taking my sister with me, Thank you very much.  
> I watch as the two Starks leave the room, laughing and bickering.  
> Just like Starks.

** The Avengers Part 2  
Oh Brother  **

****

** Thor **

“How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace, and you kill because it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did.”

As the man with the odd device for his eye, speaks and criticizes my brother, I remember a time when Loki was a man of integrity and mirth. He is long gone, and replaced by a stranger whose thirst for power and vengeance controls him.

I listen as Loki’s voice infiltrates the room.

“It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is. “

It burns to listen to this. To watch my brother utter such vile and horrendous words. But I need to know all I can, if I am going to attempt to stop him.

“He really grows on you, doesn’t he?”

I had forgotten of the others in the room, none of whom I know. There is the man I had battled earlier,  he sits on the throne with an air of superiority. The woman with the hair so vibrant in colour, it contrasts greatly to her stone cold demeanour. The woman standing at the edge of the table who looks as if she’s guarding all of us. The man standing next to her, ‘Agent’ (must be a great title here on Earth) Coulson, whom I have no sense of confidence whether he is my ally or enemy. And then there is the self proclaimed beast, who looks calmer than the rest. I wish that Lady Stark was here. She is a great companion and will  be able to sooth my worries and fears with her wit and humour. Without her, here in this foreign planet, I feel helpless and useless.

The man of Shield speaks.

“Loki’s gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what’s his play?”

At last, something I know of!

“He has an army called the Chitauri. They’re not of Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return I suspect, for the Tesseract.” I rely everything that I have learned to the people in front of me.

The woman (Hill, if I recall correctly) speaks with wonder and bewilderment.

“An army from outer space!”

The doctor (Banner) seems to understand Loki’s motives.

“So, he’s building another portal. That’s what he needs Erik Selvig for.”

My chest constricts with panic. Memories of drinking at a bar appear in my mind. It changes to bringing a intoxicated Selvig home and talking with Jane on the roof. The thought of her makes me ache once more as I long to see her again. However, the ache replaces with panic as I worry for her safety and the safety of Erik.

“Selvig?”

“He’s an astrophysicist.” ‘Agent’ Coulson informs me. As if I would ever comprehend the bizarre terms used on Earth!

“He’s a friend.”

“Loki has him under some kind of spell. Along with one of ours.” The pristine Lady with the red hair says.

“I want to know why Loki let us take him. He’s not leading an army from here.” The Captain sounds frustrated and impatient. He’s one who is ready for battle.  The good doctor counters his questions.

“I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy’s brain is a bag full of cats. You could smell crazy on him.”

Although the doctor is most definitely right, the need to defend my kind and my brother takes over me and I lower my voice to sound threatening.

“Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother.”The red hair speaks once again.

“He killed 80 people in two days.”

It makes me feel idiotic. So I defend _myself._

“He’s adopted.”

** Natasha **

I smirk at the God of Thunder. Although he may seem intimidating at first (not to me), he comes off as a softie. I’m about to inform the rest of the members in the room that we need to create a plan, but a ruckus at the entrance distracts me and everyone else. I inwardly smile as the two Starks walk into the room, looking as different as chalk and cheese. While Tony wears a well fit, expensive (by the looks of it) suit with gelled hair and sunglasses, Liz is dressed simply with some jeans and a loose long sleeve shirt, leaving her hair unfastened, similar to the first time I saw her.

 _Starks will always be Starks, even if they don't try,_ I think as the two siblings immediately capture everyone’s attention as they bicker and nudge each other, a wide smile on their faces. Stark (I will be referring to Tony as Stark and Liz as Liz) spots Coulson and walks up to him immediately, giving him a firm handshake.

“I couldn’t help but overhear you talking to Ms.Potts about the cellist in Portland. So, I’m just saying. Pick a weekend, I fly you to Portland. Keep love alive. Am I right?”

Coulson tries to look annoyed but a smile is on his face as he says,

“Of course Mr. Stark.” Stark nods and walks towards the tablets placed at the end of the room. Liz shakes her head and smiles at Coulson, giving him a short hug.

“Nice to see you again Phil.”

“You too, Liz.”

 _Phil? Liz?_ Stark voices my question.

“Since when were you two Phil and Liz?” He complains.

“Since we were in a room with a man with anger issues, a God of thunder, a 70 year old man, three agents from a badass organization, one of which who is a super assassin and a man with a huge metal suit.” She responds quickly. Stark turns around and continues to observe the tech and Liz turns to smile at the Captain who in return smiles back.

I realize that it is the first time; I have seen a smile on the Captain’s face, one that doesn’t seem forced and uncomfortable. He also seems much more relaxed then he was a few moments ago, he looks more...approachable.

“Why Iridium? What do they need Iridium for?” Stark says aloud, though he’s talking to himself.

“What?” Liz says, her brows scrunched together confusedly. Stark, presses a few buttons and the data on the screens appears on the table. Liz studies the new screen carefully.

“It's a stabilizing agent,” she talks to herself. “It means the portal wont collapse on itself like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D.”  The scrunch of her brows don't leave. Stark fills in for her.

“It also means that the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants. Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails. That man is playing Galaga. He thought we wouldn’t notice, but we did. The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily...”

“The only major component he still needs is a power source of high- energy density. Something to kick-start the Cube.” Liz finishes.

“Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?” Coulson asks. Half of us look at Stark while the other half look at Liz.

“He would have to heat the Cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier.” Stark ponders.

“Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunnelling effect.” Liz says with excitement.

“Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.” Banner adds. I’ve stopped trying to understand what they’re saying a long time ago. I look at their faces to determine whether what they’re saying is a threat or advancement. Stark turns to look at Banner, impressively may I add.

“Finally someone who speaks English.” He exclaims while shaking his hand. I hear Steve ask if that’s what happened under his breath, therefore missing the first bit of Stark’s compliment to Banner but, hearing a good portion of the end.

“...fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster.”

“Tony!” Liz yells from beside me. I smirk at her and she rolls her eyes at me.

Fury walks in the room, but I completely ignore him (that’s a first) and look and Elizabeth, who has rolled her chair towards Hill.

“Elizabeth Stark” she whispers to her, hand out in a friendly gesture.

“Maria Hill, pleasure to meet you Ms.Stark.” They shake hands and smile, and I can tell that Hill is glad to see that Liz is completely different from Stark.  The three of us snap to attention when the Captain exclaims loudly,

“I would start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon.”

Liz looks at me and mouths, “ _what are they talking about.”_ I shrug and pay attention to Fury.

“I don't know about that, but it is powered by the Cube. And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.”

“Monkeys? I do not understand.” Thor speaks up.

“I do,” we all turn to stare at the Captain. “I understood that reference.”

Liz giggles and the Captain smiles at her sheepishly. Their connection is undeniable. She turns to look at Stark and Banner.

“Well, I guess the two of you better get started.” Somehow, she found out what everybody was talking about previously.

Tony and Bruce leave the room, but a few seconds later the former remerges and strides to his sister, dragging her along, chair and all.

“I’m taking my sister with me, Thank you very much.

I watch as the two Starks leave the room, laughing and bickering.

Just like Starks.

** Bruce **

I watch and carefully study the gamma readings on the screen and compare them to Selvig’s notes. I’m about to comment on their consistency to Tony, only to find him distracted annoying his sister. She appears to be typing up something and every once in a while, he would look up from his screens and press a few random keys, aggravating her. In return, she uses her ice powers to freeze his screen and then melts the ice, the water shooting at his face. I decide to end their...fight and finally tell Tony my readings.

“The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig’s reports of the Tesseract. But it's going to take weeks to process.” I share my predicament.

“If we bypass their mainframe and direct route to the Homer cluster, we can clock this at around 600 teraflops.” He’s a genius, and it feels nice to have someone whom you can share your leanings with, and someone who you can learn from.

“Heh. All I packed was a toothbrush.” He laughs, and it looks much more genuine compared to the magazines and tabloids, but fake compared to the way he laughs with his sister.

“You know, you should come by Stark Tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You’d love it. It's Candy Land.”

Before I can protest, Elizabeth walks beside her brother and smiles at me. It's warm and genuine. Too warm and genuine for a monster.

“Ya. You should come over. Tony would love to have someone else who appreciates the act of blowing things up as much as he does. And you clearly seem to know your way around mechanics so the two of you will be fine and Jarvis won’t give me hourly alerts that ‘Mr Stark requires my presence in the workshop.’”

I know that my usual bittersweet smile has taken over my face. It's a common reaction when someone tries to get close and despite my wishing for the same, I push them away. For their own safety.

“Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I kind of broke Harlem.” I forcefully push the memory back down and neutralize my face.

“Well, I promise a stress-free environment. No tension, no surprises.” He says and not even a second after, a feel a stab in my ribs. I cry out in pain.

“Tony” Elizabeth yells, the same time as the Captain walks into the room shouting “Hey!”

Tony looks into my eyes. He’s curious, like all scientists. But he’s also irrational, and for someone as smart as him, that was a stupid move.

“Nothing?”

“Are you nuts?” Rogers yells at him.

“Jury’s out. You really have got a lid on it, haven’t you? What’s your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?”  I smile at him, it's more of a warning than a smile, but as expected, he ignores it. The Captain looks angrier, if that is even possible.

“Is everything a joke to you?”

“Funny things are.” Tony replies wittily.

“Threatening the safety of everyone in this ship isn’t funny. No offense Doc.”

He’s a good man; Steve Rogers. So is Tony Stark. They’re just too different to get along.

“It's all right. I wouldn’t have come aboard if I couldn’t handle pointy things.”

I miss what Stark tells me when his sister walks to stand beside me.

“Sorry about him Doctor. For a genius, he can be pretty dumb sometimes.”

I give her what I consider a reassuring smile just as Tony’s voice raises a notch.

“Do you think I'm not? Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn’t he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variable.”

Liz sighs beside me and grumbles, “This again!” I look at her questionably and she explains,

“Tony thinks Fury is hiding something about the Tesseract and this whole operation. I mean Tony is always suspicious of people on a daily basis and Fury did decline him for the Avengers project which is a huge blow to my brothers ego since he is the great Tony Stark and all, but I don't know...I...I can't help but think he might be right.” She whispers to me.

“It bugging them too. Isn’t it?” Tony and Steve’s attention diverts to us and we look at each other in panic. I speak up,

“Uhhhh, I just want to finish my work here and....”

“Doctor?”  The Captain looks at me pointedly. I decide to answer honestly.

“A warm light for all mankind. Loki’s jab at Fury about the Cube.”

“I heard it.” Rogers tells me, probably wondering how that has anything to do with our argument.

“I think that was meant for the two of you,” I indicate the two Starks. “Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the Tower, it was still all over the news.”

“The Stark Tower? The big ugly...” Before Rogers can finish interrupting me, Elizabeth interrupts him.

“Hey! I’ll have you know that building took forever to build since it was Tony, Pepper and I doing literally _all_ the work, so don't you dare insult my baby!” she crosses her arms and childishly glares at the Captain who has a smile directed at her. I decide to finish my explanation.

“It's powered by an arc reactor, a self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for, what, a year?” I ask Stark who replies proudly,

“It's just the prototype. I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now. That’s what he’s getting at.”

“So why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D bring him in on the Tesseract project? What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?” And with that, I get back to work, tuning out Rogers and Stark arguing, but listening to Elizabeth’s sad sigh.

“Is it always going to be like this? Those two arguing?” I ask her.

“Steve was a friend of my dad. Tony isn’t my dad. When Steve woke up from the ice thaw, he didn't know anybody, anything actually. So when he heard about my brother, Howard Stark’s son, he was expecting someone who was relatively similar to his long lost friend and then he met my brother who is the total opposite of my dad ...the Howard Stark Steve knew, and he was disappointed.  He channels that disappointment into anger. And it's all a challenge for Tony, a game. Arguing with someone. Winning. So he’s not gonna stop until Steve does.” She’s perceptive, good at reading people. We focus back to argument.

“And your all about style aren’t you?” Steve says.

“Of the people in this room, which one is, A, wearing a spangly outfit, and B, not of use.”

Elizabeth cuts them short.

“Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you.” Although she’s referring to the mission, I can hear her silent, implore to Steve to drop the subject. He looks at her and exhales, looking back at Stark.

“Just find the Cube.” He says and walks away.

“That’s the guy my dad never shut up about? I’m wondering if they shouldn’t have kept him on ice.” Tony angrily says, eyeing the Captain through the glass.

Elizabeth walks to the doors.

“Oh, give him a break Tony. He was trapped in ice for 50 years and then wakes up in a totally different era. You can't blame him for being so solemn.” She reprimands her brother as she walks out of sight.

I go back to work.

** Steve  **

_Tell me none of this smells a little funky to you._

It didn't before, now it does. I hate to admit it, but Tony is right. What next? Tony and Bruce find the Tesseract, hand it over to S.H.I.E.L.D and then what? What is S.H.I.E.L.D planning on doing with a Cube that holds an indefinite amount of power?

“Hey! Wait up!” I shake my thoughts away, and look at Liz, who now walks beside me. She has tied her previously loose hair up into a ponytail that sways as she walks. I look down and smile at her, hoping that she isn’t mad at me for arguing with her brother. Before I had figured out who she was (a Stark), I had considered her brother as some gallant knight as she depicted him to me. But her brother ended up being Tony Stark, an alcoholic, partier, who has no care for anybody but himself (Liz probably comes pretty close).

“Sorry about Tony back there. He can be nice when he wants to, but he was kind of an ass to you and I apologize on behalf of him. So...sorry.” She has a guilty look on her face and I am once again surprised by her kindness.

“No, that’s alright. I was actually going to apologize myself. I didn't mean to offend your brother.”

She arches an eyebrow.

“Really?”

“...No” The two of us laugh and suddenly she looks deep in thought.

“I know you, you know. I mean, ya, I know you now. But I knew you before. You were a common name in my household growing up. My dad used to talk about you all the time. It was always Captain America this and Steve Rogers that. I used to think he had a really creepy obsession with a dead man.”

I laugh but I can't stop the happiness that bubbles in my chest at being remembered by the ones I cared about.

“Really?” I ask her.

“Yep. Quite frankly, I don't know what all the fuss was about.” She grins cheekily.

“Oh ya?”

“Ya. Actually, I used to hate you. Wait, no, hate is too strong of a word to use. I really didn't like you when I was a little girl. And by little I mean up to when I was around 13 years old.”

I give her a questioning frown and she elaborates.

“When I was younger, I thought that I had the perfect family. I did have the perfect family. They were amazing. Everything I could have ever wanted. But twice a year, my dad would go away. For a very long time. When I was around five or six, I was too young to understand where he went. I only knew that I missed him, a lot. It was only when I got older did I over hear my dad talking to his friend about his arctic expeditions to look for...well you. And I hated it. I hated that someone, I didn't know who, but someone was taking my dad away from me. Then, he would find a clue; debris from the ship that you flew, or a piece of fabric, and he would just get more and more motivated. Now, I wasn’t a genius like my brother, but I knew that you had crashed their years ago, and I knew that staying in the ice for that long, can kill you. So, I never understood my father’s need to travel to one of the coldest places on a planet to look for a dead body. I was aware that you were a super-solider of some kind, but no one gave me a debriefing on how _much_ the serum affected you. So...ya. I had a lot of harboured dislike against you.”

Her story stopped me dead in my tracks and I blink away the tears that almost form in my eyes as I remember Howard’s perseverance, strength and intelligence. Most of it is mirrored in the woman beside me.

 “What changed?” I ask her. “Or do you still hate me?”

“No! Of course not! I didn't know you then. Course, I had heard about you. But it was never enough to make up for stealing my dad.”

“So...what changed? What made you smile at Captain America instead of glaring at him?”

A corner of her lips twitch into a smile; a slightly sad one, but a smile nevertheless.

“When I was 13, I lost someone who was very close to me. And when he died, I was put into my dad’s shoes. Because I would have... I still would, do absolutely anything to get him back. So, I guess my dad had a tiny little suspicion that the serum would keep you alive, and since there was that tiny possibility, he did anything he could to find you. But also....”

She trails off, and I sense a weariness of wanting to tell more. I remember the first time we met, when she asked me about my story, she sensed my unwillingness to talk and changed the subject. I suppose she’s a better person than I am.

“What?”

“He didn't only want to find you. I mean, that was a major part of what he did, but he also did it for the closure. The last thing he knew of you was that you were going to defeat some evil villain who was planning to conquer the world. Then, you get lost in the Arctic! He needed to know _if_ you were dead, how you died, why you died. He needed that closure.”

“You’re speaking from experience.” It wasn’t a question. The personal pain in her voice is evident.

“My parents died in a car accident. I'm sure you already know that. They didn't. I mean, they’re dead. But it wasn’t a car accident. My dad was like, the best driver in all of history. He could successfully drive a car in the middle of an earthquake. So there is no way the car lost control in the middle of secluded road. My brother and I spend all day on their death anniversary holed up in a room looking through every single piece of information we have. I'm going crazy for any type of closure.”

It's the first time I have seen her so solemn. It's unsettling; I’m used to her face radiating a bright light, almost like a beacon. She pauses and looks around.

“...I... don't think we’re going the right way Steve.” She looks at me questionably. I see her face change, and I know she’s figured out my plan.

“So tell me again why you just spent five whole minutes arguing with my brother when you agreed with him?”

I shrug, “It’s fun.”

She rolls her eyes and quickens her pace, to match my stride.

We stop at a room named ‘storage’, located in a private, secluded area, that is locked shut.

“This is it, I tell her.”

She places her hand on the lock and I watch as it slowly freezes, shattering into tiny little ice pieces.

 I place my hands on the edge of the door and push with all my might, and I feel the door leisurely moving at its own slow pace. I pause for a minute to catch my breath and I am startled when I feel Liz moving  closer. My left hand is placed tightly to the doorframe, acting as an anchor while my right hand grips the door. Liz ducks down beneath my arms and walks through the door, her tiny frame allowing herself to fit through. I catch a scent of strawberry (shampoo) before she turns to face me.

“It won’t be much. But, let me help. Push the door, I mean.”

And with that, she places her right hand on the doorframe, directly under mine and her left hand above my right. Together we push and the door fully opens, and I walk in.

I eye the boxes and jump from one shelf to another until I find what I'm looking for.

I jump down and present Liz with the gun I found. The gun S.H.I.E.L.D means the Tesseract to power.

Unlimited power.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	7. Tony Stark's Little Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The room is silent. It turns out, that Elizabeth Stark is scarier than Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff combined. She picks up the staff and proceeds to walk out the room. In mid step, she stops and turns around saying,  
> “Oh and Captain?” I look at her, taking note of her lethal, threatening smile.  
> “Brain control or not, say anything like that to my brother ever again, I freeze your ass and throw you back into the Arctic.”

** Tony Stark’s (Badass) Little Sister **

** Steve **

“So, he essentially wants to make weapons that are going to be powered by the freaking’ Tesseract? Has he lost his mind? That’s crazy!”

I silently agree with Elizabeth, hating myself for not anticipating this much sooner. I could have put many people in risk if I had continued to keep a blind eye on S.H.I.E.L.D  

I can hear Liz murmuring in the background, but in my angry haze, I can only pick up the words ‘crazy, psychopath, idiot, and dead’. My inner rant is put to a stop by a sudden warmth on my shoulder and I look into Liz’s concerned eyes.

“Are you ok? Here I am going on and about my Uncle’s psychopathic friend who killed bunnies while you looked like your dog died. Oh My God! Did it?”

“What?”

“Your dog. Did you have a dog?”

By now, we have reached the entrance of the lab in which Tony and Bruce are working on finding the Tesseract. At closer inspection, I see that the entire group is gathered inside, excluding Agent Hill and Agent Coulson.

_Good. Might as well tell everyone._

“Great! The whole party is here.” Elizabeth says, with a fake cheerfulness in her tone.

“Yeah, then you get your Cube back. No muss, no fuss. What’s ‘Phase 2’?” I hear Tony ask as I walk in the room. I produce the gun to everyone and place it on the table.

“Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D uses the Cube to make weapons.” I give Fury my most scathing glare and turn to look at Tony who looks surprised and a little smug. “Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me.”

“Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we’re making...” Fury begins, but Tony interrupts him, turning his screen around to show us the blueprint of the weapon, including the area where the Tesseract will go. 

“I’m sorry Nick. What were you lying?”

“I was wrong Director; the world hasn’t changed a bit.”

This is what the world was about before; war. I wake up in a time where everything seems progressed, where it seems like the solution to anything can be solved, but I was wrong. The world hasn’t still cracked the code to solving world peace. It is still the same flawed world as before. I'm not sure whether the idea fills me with comfort or anger. I watch as Fury blames Thor for all his misdoings.

“But you’re not the only people out there are you? And you’re not the only threat. The world’s filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled.”

I scoff,

“Like you controlled the Cube?”

“Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war.” Thor says.

It all leads back to a single concept; war. I’m not going to think about what a higher form of war would entail.

“You forced our hand; we had to come up with something.” Fury defends himself. If you ask me, his excuses are starting to sound pathetic.

“A nuclear deterrent. Because that always calms everything right down.” Stark intervenes.

“Remind me again how you made your fortune Stark.” I look angrily at Fury; quite frankly, I don't even know where all this anger is coming from. It's as if anger is attacking me; controlling me. But, as he insults my best friend’s (Howard’s) company, I feel a duty to defend him.

It's probably the trick of the light, but as I turn to Fury, I see a circle of blue flash in his eyes.

“I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep....”

“Wait, wait. Hold on. How is this now about me?” Stark walks closer and stares at me with a disapproving glare. I roll my eyes and give him a bitter smile.

“I'm sorry, isn’t everything?” I ask, because I'm right, because this man is a self centered and arrogant ass. Ever since he boarded this ship, ever since he was called on this mission, the only thing he was doing was watching out for himself, doing what he thought was right. And I am sick and tired of dealing with this man. And I don't care if he is Elizabeth’s brother, because he is getting on my nerves.  My name (alias) brings me out of my thoughts.

“Captain America is on threat watch?” Bruce asks, looking at me in confusion.

_I’m on threat watch?_

_“_ We all are.” Natasha answers stonily as usual.

Stark turns to me,

“Wait, you’re on that? Are you above or below angry bees?”

A sudden unfamiliar urge to injure him takes over me and I'm not sure if it's the long 50-year sleep, or something else, but right now, I don't feel in control of my own emotions.

“Stark, so help me God. If you make one more wisecrack...”

“Threat! Verbal threat. I feel threatened.”

 “Show some respect.”

“Respect what.” He counters back, not fazed at all about the events going on around him.

I watch as Banner’s temper flares, and I instinctively back up as Fury tells him to step away.

“Why shouldn’t a guy let of a little steam?” Stark yells carelessly, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shove it off with enough strength; I know it should hurt.

“You know damn well why. Back off!” I yell at him.

“Oh, I’m starting to want you to make me.” He challenges, and something must be going on with my eyes because once again, I see a flash of blue fill Stark’s irises before it disappears.

“Yeah. Big man in a suit of armour. Take that off, what are you?” I question him.

He counters back arrogantly,

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.”

“I know guys with none of that worth ten of you.”

I think of Bucky. My best friend, a man who stood by justice, a man who stood by my side until the very end, a man who sacrificed his life for the country.

“I’ve seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down the wire and let the other guy crawl over you.” I feel hate and anger for him and I watch as he shrugs.

“I think I would just cut the wire.” I smirk bitterly at the rest of the ‘team’, as to ask them, _is this is what you picked to save the world?_

I feel my head shake disapprovingly as I say,

“Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.”

In the background, I hear Thor make an offhand comment on the people of this earth as Fury argues with him. Natasha coolly tells Banner to exit the room and the two of them quarrel about S.H.I.E.L.D as Stark walks up to me, his face filled with anger and disgust.

“A hero? Like you? You’re a laboratory experiment Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle.”

Now, the room is filled with chaos; people yelling and screaming at each other and I feel my hands ball into fists and I clench my jaws, focusing my cool stare on Stark. 

“Put on the suit. Let’s go a few rounds.”

The room gets louder and louder and I’m about to punch Stark when a piercing hiss fills the room and the anger that was just consuming me floats away.

We all turn to look at Elizabeth who holds Loki’s sceptre, which is now frozen.

Fury cautiously takes a step forwards while Dr. Banner backs away.

“Ms. Stark...” Fury starts but she interrupts him.

“I kinda had to listen to all you of speak for about 10 whole minutes and was absolutely silent, which is not normal for me. So I think it would be fair if I could get a few words in. Okay?”

She doesn’t wait for any of us before she continues.

“First of all, Dr. Banner stays here. S.H.I.E.L.D, invited, no sorry, forced him on this ship so if he turns into a green giant, it's under your conscience since it was your idea to bring him here. No one is putting him in some _cage_.”

I’ve never heard her speak so vehemently and sternly before, it slightly terrifies me.

“Now, Tony and Dr. Banner will locate the Tesseract. When they do, we’re going to find it and bring it back. After we have done that and put a stop to Loki’s plan, since he clearly has one, Thor is going to take both Loki _and_ the Tesseract to back to his planet.”

“Ms. Stark!” Fury yells. She looks at him with a piercing glare and yells back.

“Do not, Ms. Stark me! You are not allowed to create a weapon with a power that you cannot control. Because you have no idea what you’re dealing with. There is no science to that cube. Because I don't know of any science that controls a person’s emotions. That Cube is doing something to your heads. This is why it can’t stay on earth.  Because we can't control it. And guess what Fury? That weapon you mean to create gets into the wrong hands, and that someone decides that he wants to take over the world, someone who is greedy for more power. He can do it. Because he has an unstoppable weapon in his hand. Because you can't stop infinite power. And if the world comes crumbling down in a few years, it’ll be your fault, and it’ll be the fault of all of us.  So we are going to find the Tesseract and get that thing as far away from Earth as possible. No arguments? Great!”

The room is silent. It turns out, that Elizabeth Stark is scarier than Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff combined. She picks up the staff and proceeds to walk out the room. In mid step, she stops and turns around saying,

“Oh and Captain?” I look at her, taking note of her lethal, threatening smile.

“Brain control or not, say anything like that to my brother _ever_ again, I freeze your ass and throw you back into the Arctic.”

And with that, she leaves the room.

 

** Tony **

“I did mention that you shouldn’t mess with my sister when she looks even subtly pissed, right?”  I say, breaking the silence that hangs in the room after my (completely awesome, badass) sister leaves. 

“Man of Iron. You did not mention the profound terror Lady Stark radiates when she is angry.” Thor whispers.

Oops!

“She said that the sceptre was messing with our brains.” Romanoff directs her attention to Thor.

“That has less to do with the Tesseract than it does with Loki’s influence over it. But, Lady Stark is correct. The Cube contains the power to bring out your most negative emotions and channel them out, despite your restrictions.”

Hmm, that’s why I felt so angry at Capsicle. It also explains the strange blue (a darker blue than Spangle’s eyeshade) ring in his eyes.

“So why didn't it affect Elizabeth?” Natashalie questions. In fact, I’m also curious as to why my sis didn't lose control and freeze the entire ship and its inhabitants. This is exactly what she does when she is mad beyond control; throw icicles.

“The Tesseract is a powerful weapon. Powerful enough to control your emotions, but not quite enough to create new ones. It brings out your deepest, darkest, feelings and amplifies it. The result, chaos and disorder. I suppose that the Tesseract obtained difficulty locating Lady Stark’s pessimistic emotions, only able to skim the surface of her anger.” Thor tells her and all of us.

“If that is her ‘skimming the surface’ of her anger, then I hope I'm not there for when she is angry.” I nod and internally agree with Bruce.

The monitor beeps erratically and he rushes to the screens as we all keep our eyes focused on him (the Captain seems to be ignoring me). I watch as his face morphs into one of disbelief and he breaths,

“Oh, my God!”

He doesn’t get to explain his problem (I guess he doesn’t need to) because the entire room explodes in a haze of red heat, sending us across the room in a harsh blow.

** Elizabeth **

I think the scream is mine _. It doesn’t sound like me_ , I think, while I’m flying across the air as I feel the ground erupt. I crash onto the ground and I faintly hear the clatter of Loki’s sceptre as I attempt to clear the haze in my eyes and the ringing in my ears. I stare at the ceiling for a long time; trying to control the outrageous pain that consumes me.

“Liz.” I blink back to reality as my brother’s voice fills my ears.

“Lizzie!” He yells louder this time and the noise goes straight to my head.

“God! Would you stop yelling? I’m fine.” My voice strains as I push myself back to my feet. I’m about to ask him if everybody else is alright when I hear Agent Hill’s voice over the comm.,

“External detonation. Number three engine is down.”

As she speaks to someone outside of the comm., I take a moment to breathe, trying to process the fact that a submarine/Hellicarrier had been bombed by several S.H.I.E.L.D members who were mind controlled by a God who is currently in a glass cage. Hill’s attention returns to the comm.

“If we lose one more engine, we won’t be. Somebody’s got to get outside and patch that engine.”

“Stark you copy that?” Fury’s usual controlling voice asks.

“I’m on it.” It's the first time my brother’s taken a direct order without any contradictions. I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.

“I guess I’ll meet you at engine three then.” I place my hand on the comm.

“Ya, Steve and I’ll be there.” He responds.

 I scan my thumb on my ring and while the thin metal materializes itself into my suit, I put on my contacts and earpiece (giving Friday access to my eyes and ears.) I rapidly scan my surroundings and smile victoriously when I see the faint blue glow of Loki’s sceptre peeking out from behind a wall. I rush towards it and pick it up, when I receive a hard blow to my stomach, which causes me to lose my grip on said sceptre. My eyes widen as I am face to face with a certain God of Mischief.

“The last time I checked, you were in a glass cage that was supposedly impossible to escape from. Which makes sense since it was made for the almighty Hulk. So how did you manage to break out?”

Its cliché; the whole ‘talking to your enemy’ thing. I was never really one for it. But I realise that I have his rapt attention and that he doesn’t notice me inching closer to him, ready to make my move. 

“I have my sources.” He says just as I shoot a set of electric ropes, one wrapping around the sceptre and the other wrapping around his leg. I bring my hand back, causing him to flip and fall backwards. I’m about to yank the sceptre out of his hands when he twists the weapon in a manner so that I am yanked to the floor. I groan in pain.

“Liz?” I hear Steve through my comm.

“This will probably take a while.” I tell him, ducking Loki’s blasts and shooting some of my own. I grunt as I create a shield for myself (ice wrapped in electricity, thanks to Thor) from his beam of...whatever it's made from, and I hear shooting through the comm., which makes me feel guilty (not too guilty, since I am fighting the mastermind).

“Just be safe.” I smile slightly at his concerned voice before I jump up in the air and shoot a (pointy) icicle at Loki, which is followed by a series of electric blasts.

“Aye, Aye, Captain.” I hear his breathless laughter and I smirk at Loki who is knocked off by my (perfectly aimed) hit. He in turn fires a series of his own blasts at me and (after realizing that I can't freeze them) I use my electricity to contradict the substance.

I jump up and turn through the air ready to kick him only for my feet to go right through his figure (which was the creepiest thing ever). I feel a sharp pain in my back and I crash into the hard wall, my head hitting a beam. The world turns dark as I faintly acknowledge Loki telling me,

“You are definitely one of a kind.”

For the second time that day, the world goes black.

** Tony **

I should be familiar with these types of situations now. I’ve experienced so many of them that it should be a familiar pain. But nothing in the world can prepare me for when I hear the words, “ _Coulson’s dead”_  

I stare at the cards in shock, trying to recover from Fury’s (long, sentimental) lecture and the fact that I let Phil (we’re on first name basis) down. Part of me is thinking (hoping) that this is some kind of messed up game Fury is playing to get us to dance to his tune, and the other half is wondering, _how the hell am I gonna tell Pepper and Lizzie?_ Wait...

“Where’s Lizzie?” I stand abruptly, my chair tumbling down and hitting the floor.

Cap’s eyes widens, as if he hadn’t thought of that before. I turn to Fury,

“Fury, where is my sister?” He looks at me with a calm glare and presses the buttons on his earpiece.

“Do I have eyes or ears on Ms. Stark? Eyes and ears on Ms.Stark.”

If he thought for a second that I was going to wait for his team of incompetent rats to find my sister, then he might have underestimated me a tad bit.

“Jarvis, connect me to Friday’s intercom.”

My watch lights up,

“Yes sir.”

“No need for all the unnecessary drama, I'm right here.”  My sister’s voice echoes through the room as she walks in.

“You ok?” I ask her, noticing the cut on her head and the slight bruise on her cheek.

“Yep. Just have a horrible headache that can outweigh your hangovers. And that’s saying a lot, since you have probably have had the worst hangovers in history. But I'm fine. But Thor and Bruce aren’t. If you didn't hear, Bruce...Hulked up and he kinda started attacking Nat and some of S.H.I.E.L.D’s agents attacked him and he got mad and jumped on the plane and would have fell to his death if he weren’t indestructible. So I don't know where he is. And Loki escaped, this was obviously the plan but he somehow trapped Thor in the glass cage and it fell, and I tried to chase after it but it was falling too fast but I did see him do like this weird bungee jump thing before he shot out so I'm going to assume he’s fine and I think Nat has Robin Hood, I don't remember his name so...”

“Agent Coulson’s dead.”

I swear, I did not mean to do that. I was going to have a nice quiet chat with her and slowly break the news. I did not mean to blurt it out like that. I look at Liz to find her shooting daggers at me.

“Tony! I’d rather you tell me shut the hell up than say something like that to stop my ramble.”

She crosses her arms in anger and takes a seat. I wait, silently and patiently, for the words to completely process in her head. My sister knows me inside out. She knows that despite my ability to insert humour into any situation, I would never joke about death. Death took enough from me for me to kid about it. She stares at me, then at Fury in despair.

“No.” Her voice cracks and she places her hand on her forehead

“No, no, no, no, no. What?”

“Loki stabbed him.” I place a hand on her shoulder. Coulson was close with Liz. They spent a lot of time together ever since he was babysitting me when I was (dying) sick.

She bitterly grins, tears forming in her eyes.

“You know, out of everyone on this ship, he was probably the last person that deserved to die”

She buries her head in her hands, I feel an overwhelming rush of anger, and I storm out of the room, unable to keep my emotions in check.

** Elizabeth **

**_Several minutes later..._ **

I scroll through my contacts, debating whether I should call Charlie or Pepper. While I don’t want to worry and pull Charlie into this world (superheroes, Gods, _death_ ), I don't want to have to talk to Pepper and spill the fact that someone she cared about is dead.

The screen turns blurry and a tear manages to slip out of its confines and drop on my phone. The device makes a decision for me as Tony’s face appears on the screen along with his electric music. I take a deep breath to steady my voice and tap the green button.

“Ya?”

“Find the S.H.I.E.L.D plane that is currently flying in the air and board on. I know where Loki is.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Final Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I brace myself for the impact but get none as Lady Stark creates a wall of ice around all of us, which effectively prevents the fragments from crashing in. I can also see that the wall of crystal extends quite far and protects other civilians.   
> I stand there; I am part of a circle created by the ones whom I have chosen to consider as friends in such a short time. I hear another roar, this much louder, and look up as Agent Romanoff had directed, to see more aliens ascending down.

Flying might as well be the most wonderful feeling any creature has ever felt. The sensation of the wind blowing through your hair, the roar in your ears, the heat of your adrenaline mixed with the chilly air is the perfect mix for wholeness.

...Except when you’re flying to find a plane that will take you to an evil Norse God that wants to take over the planet using an army of aliens.

My (exceptionally) loud sigh is drowned out by the sound of propellers as I spot the Hellicarrier Tony directed me towards. Not that it was help in any way, as my only instruction, direction and information was,

“Get in the plane. I know where Loki is.”

 This isn’t fair, since I do have a right to know where exactly the plane is taking me. And he’s my goddamn brother for goodness sake! What happened to _‘you tell me everything and I’ll tell you everything’?_  

I’m still fuming as I bang (probably loudly) on the metal door and stomp in as it opens. Inside, I am faced with an impassive (as usual) Natasha, a smiling Steve (which would have made my insides melt if I wasn’t so mad), and Robin Hood (another thing they don't tell me, his name). 

I make my way to the front of the aircraft and Steve turns to me. I interrupt him before he can speak, letting out all my frustration and anger,

“What Steve? Are you going to tell me where you’re taking me hostage? Because of not, then don't say anything! You people are all kidnapping me to some place far, far away and you’re going to tie me up and keep me there for the rest of my life! And that isn’t even the worst part. No, the worst part is that my brother, my own brother is in on it. In fact, he’s the mastermind of this malicious plan!”

I grumpily plop on the seat and cross my arms across my chest, my forehead slightly uncomfortable after frowning for so long. It's Robin Hood that breaks the silence by chuckling from where he was steering the plane. I look up from my lashes to see a (very) amused Steve and a smirking (does the woman ever _smile?_ ) Natasha.

“Is someone gonna tell me his name or am I going to have to call him Robin Hood from now on?”

“This is Clint Barton. He is um...” Steve trails off, probably realizing that he doesn’t know much about the man himself.

“One of S.H.I.E.L.D’s finest agents.” Natasha finishes for him.

I take a look at Mr. Barton to find that he beat me to it, as he is intently observing me (must be a S.H.I.E.L.D thing, Nat did the same thing when we first met) from the corner of his eye. I rack my brain for some sort of topic to converse on.

“So...how’s it like to be brain controlled?” I internally (and externally) flinch.

“Oh My God! I did not mean to say that aloud. It's just that my mouth has a tendency to speed up and my brain can't keep up so most of the time I end up saying really awkward and sometimes horrible things like in this case where I did not want to bring that up since you probably, most defiantly don't want to talk about it, ever. Not that you shouldn’t, because it's good to talk about your problems and I'm not telling you what to do, I just think that...”

“Liz.” Natasha stops my ramble (thank God for her) and I feel my face heat up involuntarily.

“Sorry. I...ramble. A lot” I direct the statement to Clint (should I call him Mr. Barton).

“I can see that.” He responds. It's only four words. The first four words I’ve ever heard from him, but the emptiness and emotionless expression sends chills (not in any way similar to the welcoming ones I get when a certain solider touches me) down my spine.

I focus my attention back to Natasha and Steve, the former looking worried as she regards her...friend. I guess I wasn’t the only one who noticed that Loki’s...spell (why is it so hard to define terms anymore?) affected the man deeply compared to the rest. I attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

“But seriously guys, where we are going.”

“Manhattan.” Was Steve’s one word reply.

“Manhattan where?” I ask him.

He looks nervously at Natasha and I can see the silent implore to continue the conversation in his eyes. The assassin merely smirks evilly at him.

“You started it. You finish it.”

Now, he looks purely terrified.

“Stark Tower.” He says so quietly, I wouldn’t have heard him if I hadn’t stood up earlier.

“Why are we going to Stark Tower?” I’m aware that my voice has gone unbelievably low.

“Loki’s there. He’s setting up the portal that is going to bring the army of aliens on the roof of your tower. Tony’s stalling him right now.” He flinches as if he’s preparing himself for an explosion.

An explosion is exactly what he gets.

“I swear to God I will murder that son of a bitch if he even scratches my baby. Does he even realize how long it took to build the tower? Pepper, Rhodey, Tony and me spent months planning and building it. We had to reprogram Jarvis and Friday twice due to a system overload and Tony and Rhodey had to repair the suit every single day because of all the damage heavy lifting did to it. And not to mention arguing with Tony and Pepper over who gets the most credit, me obviously, since the trio would have killed each other if it weren’t for a very peacekeeping doctor. So I did not do all that work to built Stark Tower just to see it come crashing down. And God help Loki if anything happens to my tower!”

Steve has cowered back a few steps and Natasha has changed her position from beside Steve to near the front of the ship, away from me. I let out a short breath of frustration and plop back onto the nearby seat as the unending ocean passes below me. 

My bracelet chimes and a holographic screen of sound waves appear, as Tony’s voice fills the room. My brother set my digital bracelet up (without my permission) so that I can only ignore his calls after I have answered it, in case of an emergency. This is an emergency.

“Deploy! Deploy!” his voice is panicked, and is followed by a loud crash and the sound of wind rushing by.

“Tony?” I sit up straighter in my chair.

“So if I don't make it out alive, make sure that it's a closed casket funeral and do not let Senator Stern or Justin Hammer anywhere near me.”

“What the hell Tony!” I am panicking now, as I pick up his short laboured breath and I feel my heart constrict in my chest.

Then, after what feels like an eternity I perceive the mechanical clicks of the suit and I release a sigh of relief as I hear the familiar noise of the repulsers.

“Tony, I know I told you to tell me the next time you plan on dying, but I what I really meant was for you to avoid those situations so that I don't go into a fatal cardiac arrest because I’m pretty sure my heart was beating in a very unnaturally fast way for a minute there!...Are you ok?”

“I’m good. Where are you and the rest of the band?” He asks.

“We’re on our way.” Steve responds from in front of me.

The call ends and the only sound remaining is the rumble of the engine.

** Clint **

We’ve been only flying for a few minutes when a booming sound infiltrates our ears. My eyes leave the GPS screen and come face to face with a blinding blue light in the distance that splits open the sky to create a giant wormhole.

“Is that coming from Stark Tower? What are those?” I hear female Stark shriek from behind me.

It would have been annoying if she weren’t right. Because coming out of the giant hole in the sky are... I don't know what they are. Aliens, definitely, but they look more like robots or cyborgs. Whatever they are, they’re coming here, and there are a lot of them. And I helped bring them here.

“Oh God.” I hear Natasha whisper under her breath.

I spot a blur of red charging towards the sky before the aliens explode into tiny debris and I increase the speed of the aircraft knowing that Tricity will tell me to if I didn't.

Captain America hands us all small earpieces to which Tricity refuses.

“I already have one; I’ll connect it to yours. Can someone call Tony?” For someone who was shrieking hysterically a few seconds ago, she seems pretty calm right now. Too calm for someone whose city (possibly world) is being terrorized by aliens and whose brother is fighting said aliens all by himself.

“Stark, we’re on you three, headed northeast.” I can hear the panic in my partner’s (friend? Fellow Agent?) voice as she hastily clips on her weapons.

“What? Did you stop for drive- through?” he responds angrily and I know that Nat is glaring at him.

“Swing up Park, I’m going to lay them out for you.” He says right after, and I nod in her direction while navigating the ship.

** Natasha **

I watch as the Chitauri detonate into a magnitude of pieces as we slowly spiral up the enormous Tower. Although he’s trying to be subtle, I know that Clint won’t dare to go close to the tower and risk the wrath of Elizabeth Stark (who is, in fact terrifying) if he even scratches the building. I can tell that this whole ordeal is guilt- tripping him. But, the only reason I brought him here is that he can get some closure, some sense of peace by helping to stop this maniac.

As we reach the top of the structure, we spot the two Gods fighting and Thor chooses that specific time to smash Loki’s head on the glass, shattering it to pieces. I slowly turn towards the brown-haired woman behind me but, Liz doesn’t notice the glass, her attention is focused on the ‘Stark’ of the Tower.

“Where did the ‘A’ go?”

None of us responds, and she lets out an angry exhale. By now, all of us understand that she worries about her Tower as an alternative for worrying about her brother. Why worry about something you can't control when you can fret over something you can fix?

“Nat?” Clint briefly looks at me.

“I see him,” I say as I prepare to shoot.

I’m hit with a strong feeling of déjà- vu when Loki spots me, and a multitude of blue lights charge towards us, sending us swirling in the air. Only this time the wing isn’t ruptured, the engine is.

** Steve **

The ship erratically shakes and I hold onto the bars that are littered on the ceiling. Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton strive to control the aircraft to the best of their abilities as the contraption tosses violently in the sky. I hear a small, but sharp intake of breath and my arms involuntarily reach out to grab the brunette who was tossed back due to the plane’s sharp movements.

Her brown eyes abruptly shoot up in surprise and although my main priority was to help her before, I can't help but notice her close proximity now.

She pressed flush against me, it would be impossible to fit a single sheet of paper between us. My arm is wrapped around her waist and her hands hold my biceps, her head resting against my chest. I catch the scent of strawberries; a scent I have now associated with the strong, bright, woman in my arms.

I don't know if it was the plane coming to an abrupt stop, or the shock of the plane coming to an abrupt stop, but her head burrows deeper into my chest and she grips my arms tighter as I continue to choke the bar above me. 

“Sorry to ruin your moment, but we have aliens to murder.” Natasha’s voice fills the silence and snaps me out of my thoughts.

Elizabeth jumps away (not before making a startled, adorable squeak) and rushes out the ship, the vibrant flush on her cheeks visible, despite the curtain of hair that attempts to hide it.

I clear my throat, ignore Natasha’s smug smirk and follow Liz off the ship, the importance of this mission dawning on me as I take in the once beautiful city, which now looks like a battlefield.

Liz turns to me,

“I’m going to go help Tony.”

I nod and watch as she flies away until she is nothing more than a blur in the sky.

** Tony **

I fly across the sky, firing at every single alien, dodging the ones that charge towards me, and hoping to hell that Thor will find a way to close the blue hole in the sky. My thoughts get the best of me as while I hope to hell, a big (slimy probably) alien attacks me from under and sends me falling in shock. However, a familiar geyser lifts me up and I smile as my sister sends balls of electricity at the remaining aliens, causing them to combust, which is somewhat disturbing, actually.

“We’re in the middle of an alien invasion! Can you believe it?” She yells at me while swinging a group of ‘Terminators’ into the distance.

“Nope. I cannot. But then again, Captain Spangles did come back from the dead. So...” I reply, waiting for the reaction I know I will get from her.

“Hey! We can all hear you!” Capsicle yells in my ear.

“That was my intention,” I counter back.

“Tony, Please?” I hear Liz ask me, giving me the reaction I was waiting for.

A couple of days ago, we were talking about how she knew that Pepper and I would get together long before we became friends. Similarly, I know that she and Capsicle will be some kind of epic love story in the near future (with the way things are going). The question is, am I ok with that?

My thoughts are put to a halt by a loud roar, and for a second, I think that Banner is finally here. However, it isn’t Banner, but only the gigantic dragon like creature that appears out of the wormhole.

I look at me sister, who looks back at me, mirroring my shocked (and slightly awed) expression.

“Stark, are you seeing this?” Roger’s voice rings through my ears.

“Seeing, still working on believing,” I say while nodding (I think the suit nodded with me) to my sister as she mouths ‘ _holy shit!’_

“Where’s Banner? Has he shown up yet?” Hopefully he did, because I might have boasted about the Hulk to Loki.

“Banner?” Cap sounds incredulous.

I sigh,

“Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot.”

I follow my sister closer to the dragon and for a moment, I contemplate taking a close look at the fine mechanics (surely there must be some) before I hear the anguish screams from below me and I focus on my task.

I fire a set of missiles at the abnormal looking beast and from the corner of my eye; I spot sparks of electricity charging towards the beast from the other side.

I check that Liz is right beside me as we zoom in the air, away from the alien that we just angered immensely.

“Well, we got its attention. What the hell was step two?”

“I don't know. You’ve never mentioned it.” She says angrily, as she dodges a...blast (a purple beam of light that could probably injure someone).

** Bruce **

_“What he’s got is an Acme Dynamite Kit. It’s gonna blow up in his face, and I’m going to be there when it does.”_

_“Yeah, I’ll read all about it.”_

_“Or you’ll be suiting up with the rest of us”_

I had scoffed when Tony said that just a few hours ago. I had thought, _‘you don't want me to suit up’._ But now, here I am, driving through a devastated city towards danger. It didn't take much for me to come here. Sure, I had to Hulk out and hurt some people, but at the end, it wasn’t the potential possibility of saving the world and protecting it from aliens that led me to this moment.

No, it was the feeling of belonging that I felt back in the ship. With Liz and Tony, watching them joke around, one comfortable with the other emitting icicles from her palm, and one comfortable with a battery in the other’s chest. Their acceptance of each other brought me back. That acceptance gave me hope. Hope that maybe I can also be accepted and a part of something special.

And here I am, watching Manhattan fall, speeding up as I spot a vibrant blue and I stop when the faces are clear in view. They walk closer to me and I notice the small (barely there) grin on the Captain’s face and the smile (the very first one I’ve seen on her) on Agent Romanoff’s.

I opt for something casual to lighten the tense (understatement of the century) atmosphere.

“So this all seems horrible.”

It's Agent Romanoff that replies,

“I’ve seen worse.”

Guilt immediately plagues me but I force it down and keep my composed mask in place.

“Sorry.”

“No, we could use a little worse.” And the hope of acceptance raises a notch.

“Stark we got him.” Captain says into his earpiece.

“Just like you said.”

I smile. Of course, Tony would have predicted my return. We may call him a genius, but he is so much more than that.

My complementary of my friend is put to a halt by a deafening roar and the sound of glass shattering as I turn around to see Iron Man and Tricity rocketing through the air, followed by a...huge, scary-ass, loud (mechanical?) serpent.

I take a deep breath, mentally prepare myself (despite the fact that there is no mental preparation for this kind of event) and walk up as Captain tells me to get angry.

“That’s my secret Captain, I’m always angry.”

And I feel the familiar sensation as I grow into a raging beast.

** Thor **

I watch as fellow Banner transforms into the green giant and I defensively hold out my staff in case he (it?) attacks.

He does attack. Not us however, but the creature that is so foreign to me, I wonder how ridiculous it must look to the people of this earth.

As the green giant (they call him Hulk) fractures the large creature, he sends It tumbling towards us and I hear the Man of Iron’s warning as he sends a bullet into the interior of the creature, creating an explosion of fragments and pieces.

I brace myself for the impact but get none as Lady Stark creates a wall of ice around all of us, which effectively prevents the fragments from crashing in. I can also see that the wall of crystal extends quite far and protects other civilians.

I stand there; I am part of a circle created by the ones whom I have chosen to consider as friends in such a short time. I hear another roar, this much louder, and look up as Agent Romanoff had directed, to see more aliens ascending down.

“Call it Captain.” Man of Iron says.

I defensively listen, as the Captain creates a logical plan and I watch as the Man of Iron carries the archer up the roof. My attention is focused as the Captain utters my name.

“Thor, Liz, you got to try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. The two of you got the lightning. Light the bastards up.”

I look at Lady Stark and she nods at me before running up to the Captain while shouting

“I need a lift Captain. Catch!”

She jumps onto his S.H.I.E.L.D (which is a trusting and bold move) as he lifts it up and it sends her flying into the air and she creates a river of ice. I follow her and we both land on a particularly tall tower and I hear her through the loud wind,

“Ready Thor?”

I don't answer, but I summon the lightning and notice another flock of electric bolts making its way towards the other side of the building where Lady Stark stands.

“Now!” I yell at her and both our beams crash and mingle together, resulting in a massive explosion that pains my ears.  The army of aliens has lessened significantly and a smile almost appears at my (and Liz’s) handiwork.

“What do you say about us going down and helping the rest of the people whom we haven’t given an effective term to relate them to us yet?”

The smile breaks out.

“It's seems like a wonderful idea. You know, I woke up today and I knew that I wanted to destroy some aliens that were attacking another planet and fight my brother. I have lived, and breathed for this single moment.”

I feel proud when I hear her laugh before flying away and I jump down to help my friends.

** Hulk  **

Smash. Smash. Hulk, Smash.

It's what I do. I cannot be destroyed. I am indestructible. And I have chosen to help the humans and save their earth.

I grab one alien and crunch his head. I grab another and fling him across the air. I punch another alien and he tumbles backwards, bringing another set of aliens down with him.

A movement at the corner of my eye catches my attention and I make a move to destroy it, when some part of my brain (the Bruce Banner part of my brain) recognises the familiar face.

“Hey Jolly Green. You know me right?” the girl with long, black hair asks me.

Her eyes widen and she puts her hand in front of her and out of it, comes out a huge blue ball that makes it way towards me. I’m about to charge at her before I realize that the giant sparkling ball didn't hit me, but the alien behind me.

 I look towards her in confusion. Humans attack monsters; they don't save them. I stare at her (for who knows how long) and somehow, a bit of my conscience is brought back to life.

“Doctor?” She’s tentative, wary. But it doesn’t stop her from inching closer towards me, allowing me to familiarize the face.

I’m the Doctor. I’m Bruce Banner. And this is Elizabeth Stark, Tony Stark’s sister. She’s brave and loyal. She’s kind and understanding. She smiles at me and makes me feel normal. Even in my brainless state, I know that even after all the events that have taken and are taking place today; I have gained a friend in Elizabeth Stark.

** Clint  **

I fire one arrow after the other, never allowing myself to take a break, never giving my aching arms a second to relax. I brought this upon the world, so I will do anything to fix it. I don't even pause to watch the alien-mobile explode as I aim and fire the next arrow. A loud thump distracts me. Arrow already positioned in the bow, I abruptly turn around, ready to fire at the sudden intruder on my roof, only to be faced with a pair of brown eyes.

“Jesus, relax! I thought you can use some help, Robin Hood.” Fem. Stark holds her hand up in surrender.

“I don't need help.” I attempt to lower my voice to sound even colder, but it doesn’t faze her.

“Seriously? There are thousands of aliens attacking Manhattan and you’re telling me that you can handle every single one that comes your way alone. Cause’ I highly doubt that, since they have these purple laser thingies, which are so lethal but totally cool that I want to get my hands on one of those. I’ve actually been thinking of a name but my brain is too clogged up with alien invasions that I can barely remember my name,”

While she rants, she stands on the roof and fires a series of electric blasts (flames of electricity that combust once they hit their target) at the Chitauri while sporadically firing at my arrows so that they also combust into a great blue ball of electricity when they hit their mark.

“Can you remember my name?” I ask, once I realize that it is pointless to pretend to ignore her.

“Clint.” It's the shortest response I’ve heard from her.

“So why call me Robin Hood?”

“Cause, I like it much better. It also suits you very well, which is practically stating the obvious. And I’m scared I’m going to mess up your first name and... you know, it comes out differently.”

I look at the woman beside me. Protecting the world, smiling and laughing, and making others smile and laugh. When Nat described her, she said that she was a true force of nature. Now, looking at her positivity and determination, I can understand why she thinks so. She is the first person to make me smile (twice) after my brainwash and I know that after this mess is cleaned up, Elizabeth Stark and I will get along just fine.

** Natasha **

People say that you should never bring knives to a gunfight. Well, I say, never bring guns to an alien invasion. I struggle with the alien attacking me and if it weren’t for my incredible combat skills (I’m confident), I would have been toast (literally) by now. The Chitauri’s complex weaponry was no match for my guns.

I feel a slight dizziness as the alien pounds my head onto a bumper of a car and before I know it, I’m pinned under it, its disfigured face not at all frightening compared to the purple weapon it aims at me.  _This is Nat. This is how you die. You should have seen this coming anyway._

Before I can complete my potential last words to myself, an excessive amount of blue rings, surround the slimy creature before it shakes and falls to the ground. I let out a breath of relief before turning to face Liz who has now descended down onto the ground.

“Thanks.” It's something I rarely say, but she deserves it.

She picks up the alien’s (the one that came this close to killing me) weapon and hands it over to me. 

“No problem. By the way, you should have this. Makes the fighting more even. Not that you’re a horrible fighter since you and I both know that you’re the best assassin in this world. But we’re kind of dealing with outer space aliens that have these sick laser thingies and you know it’d be much easier for you if you had a weapon that can seriously injure them.”

She pauses for a breath and before she can start again, I take the weapon from her and shoot the alien (the same one that came this close to killing me) that limps towards the younger Stark. The movement makes her jump and she turns around in shock.

“Well...karma’s a bitch.” She says

I laugh, savouring the feeling for a moment before I’m faced with reality in the form of the giant hole in the sky.

“None of this is going to mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal.” I tell her. She looks back at me, and for the first time, I see the worry and tension behind the smile. 

“I’m open to ideas.” She replies, shooting an alien square in the chest.

“Ya. I got one. But I’m going to need a boost.”

She doesn’t question me. She just gives me a nod, before I am swept up by a cool, refreshing fountain of water and I jump onto the alien- motorcycle as the water flows back down.

She’s incredible. Liz. She really is. Doctor by day, superhero by night. Doing good to the world. Believing in others. Hell, if any of these aliens, even slightly smiled at her, she would have commanded that the rest of us not kill them. I’m not in any way as good as she is. But all I know is that Elizabeth Stark chose to be my friend, and so I’m going to chose to be hers.

** Steve **

Beep. Beep. I panic as I hear the ticking of the bomb in the museum. If it blows, it’ll kill everyone in here. I think quickly, and I cover the bomb with my shield. It did the trick. My blue and red protection held the blast, but I couldn’t. I’m sent tumbling through the air, bracing myself for the impact, but get none.

Instead, I am standing in the middle of a whirlpool of water that ever so gently sets me back down. I instinctively smile, looking around for the familiar face, my smile dropping when I don't spot her.

“It's gratitude, that’s all. A simple thank you for um, catching me earlier in the plane.”

I study her as she walks up to me. It's becoming a habit now, me studying her variety of looks. Right now, her hair is a mess (wild, all over the place), her face dusty (except for the one spot right above her cheekbone), and her costume looks more grey than blue. I don't think I have ever seen her so beautiful before. She gives me a tentative smile.

“Steve?” She slowly walks up to me. I should go back, help fight, but I’m standing here with this amazing woman in a secluded area that is devoid of any extraterrestrial activity and I can't bring myself to move.

“Hmm.”

Her head (barely) rests on my biceps.

“I’m tired.” Her voice is meek and vulnerable. It warms me to know that she is allowing her guard down with me. That she is comfortable being vulnerable in front of me. Because I’m always vulnerable with her, every single moment I spend with her makes me feel exposed.

This is what prompts me to lay my head (ever so slightly) on the top of hers.

“Me too.” I tell her softly.

She looks at me and smiles gently. And before I know it, she flies away, probably to help her brother or something.

I wish it didn't have to be like this. In some alternate universe, she and I would be standing in the same spot, the same position, the same emotional state, looking at the stars instead of a wormhole in the sky. I wish it were different. But this is who we are. However, as I walk back into the battle, the mental image of what could be haunts me as I look at the comforting sight of raven black hair flying in the sky.

** Tony **

I blast the alien in front of me before speeding ahead to lead the others behind me into a narrow alley like Leoglas suggested. I dodge the alien’s blasts, but there aren’t many places to hide when you’re in an underground parking. I fly left and right only to be narrowly missed by the shots of the aliens (they have good aim) who have significantly outnumbered me.

I hear the familiar crackle of electricity and turn to my right to spot my sister firing her own set of sparks at said aliens. As I keep flying ahead, I notice two aliens that fly towards the exit of the parking, trapping us. She notices it too and looks at me for direction.

“You take the front, I’ll take the back.” I instruct her.

The scene looks like the classic Mr and Mrs Smith fight. Except with robots, repulsers, aliens, and electricity. We’re standing back to back, firing our own set of blasts at the aliens we were assigned to but, occasionally shooting one that the other didn't notice.

She’s always had my back. I’ll always have hers. And at the end of the day, despite all the crazy shit I do, she loves me unconditionally. And despite all the crazy crap she says, I will always love her unconditionally. Because despite alien invasions and Norse Gods and secret organization and a super solider that came back from the dead, one thing will always be definite. I’ll always be her brother and she’ll always be my little sister.

**Sorry for the (very) late update. I was just going through a hectic couple of weeks and struggled to find time to write this chapter. Hopefully (finger crossed) I’ll get through my problem and will be able to spend a nice hour or two writing the next chapter.**

**Thank you for your patience!** **J**

 

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

  

 


	9. Please Don't Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I boast, and exaggerate, but I tell the genuine truth when I say that I’m the thread that holds her together as she is the thread that holds me. When I’m gone, she will spiral out of control. She’ll break down, and build cold, icy walls that would be impossible to penetrate. She’s lost enough; I don't want to be the reason that she lost one more. I don't want to be the one who finally breaks her. I don't want to leave her. I don't want to die.  
> But I have to.

** Please Don't Go **

** Manhattan (Still Battling)  **

**_ Liz  
Minutes Ago _ **

_Let me tell you something; I am a very fit person. I run twice a day, (mostly) eat healthily, and yell at my brother almost every single hour. So it's saying something when I am dead tired. It feels like I die every time I electrocute someone. It's absolutely excruciating. I’ve been blasting and jumping and running for hours now and my knees and arms and neck are killing me._

_“Can we ask them very nicely if we can continue this tomorrow? I’m exhausted.” I say, flying randomly in hopes that the alien will get tired of chasing me._

_“I don't know. How about you try. Maybe they’ll listen to you.” Steve answers through the headpiece. He voice sounds breathy and harsh, making me feel a bit better because, hey, if a super solider is tired, then I have all rights to be too._

_“Screw it.” I whisper under my breath and sharply turn around. I crouch into a ball in the air and emit all the energy I have, creating a wall of electricity that effectively wipes out all the aliens at a radius of at least 20 feet, and sends me crashing to the ground, without any power left to defy gravity._

_I’m rescued by a familiar set of mechanical hands and a finally let my eyes drift shut for the moment, letting the Iron Man suit carry me into the air._

_We’ve played this game so many times before when we were younger. Play on the swings, jump off, and laugh as the whirlpool of water breaks our fall and sweep us into the air. It's a simple game of trust. Trust that, one will catch the other when they fall._

_“You know, now’s not a good time for a nap.” Tony’s voice is filled with amusement._

_“I know. I know. Just one more minute.” I whine, opting against burying my face in his shoulder, aware of the hard metal plates._

_“You sound like how you did years ago when someone tried to wake you up for school.”_

_I open my eyes and look up into the fixed, hard gaze of Iron Man and it almost feels as if the suit’s reprimanding me. I blow out a frustrated breath of air and jump (roll) of the suit and glide (awkwardly balance on my unstable river of water) away._

 

** 3 Minutes **

** Tony **

_A missile. A goddamn’ missile. The council has officially gone bonkers._

I zoom through the sky, in hopes of locating the missile fast enough before it annihilates the entire city.

This is my way of ignoring pain. This is my way of ignoring hesitation. This is my way of ignoring the hot, surging fear that is coursing through me right now.

I know it's not really much of a choice. The terms are relatively simple; a missile is going to hit New York City, I’m the only one that is strong and in their right mind to stop, it and I can kill two birds with one stone by doing so. However, my practical reasoning does nothing to dampen the fear churning in my stomach. 

I fear my death, which is a probable possibility. I already fear dark, closed spaces and now I’m going to fly up into a giant hole in the sky that leads up to space (and my inevitable death). But most of all, I fear the repercussions of my death. Pepper, Aunt Peggy, and Rhodey will be (hopefully) devastated. But eventually, they’ll move on with their lives, live it. The world will mourn the loss of a selfish billionaire. But eventually, they’ll forget and move on.  Hell, even the Avengers might decide to remember me and maybe they might attend my funeral (still closed casket). What I really fear, is the outcome of my sister in three minutes.

I boast, and exaggerate, but I tell the genuine truth when I say that I’m the thread that holds her together as she is the thread that holds me. When I’m gone, she will spiral out of control. She’ll break down, and build cold, icy walls that would be impossible to penetrate. She’s lost enough; I don't want to be the reason that she lost one more. I don't want to be the one who finally breaks her. I don't want to leave her. I don't want to die.

But I have to.   

****

****

** 2 Minutes **

** Clint **

I lie on the ground, stare at the ceiling. I’m out of arrows, out of ammo. It quite literally seems as if I have nothing left. Outside, the world erupts in chaos, on the brick of extinction. But I am here, on the floor staring at the ceiling.

“Wake Up Robin Hood. Now’s not the time to star gaze.”

The robotic voice lifts me out of my daze and I watch uncaringly as the Iron Man suit does some technical shit I don't understand, and produce a set of arrows. I compel my face to remain sombre, but inside I am shrieking like a schoolgirl.

“We need to fight. We can’t have dilly dalliers.” And with that, he zooms away, faster than I have ever seen him fly.

The world was less complicated when aliens and Gods were just myths. When the only weapons we had to worry about were guns, and explosives. When Tony Stark was a selfish, arrogant, rich, spoiled, jerk.

But no. We are fighting a war against the God of Mischief, teaming up with the God of Thunder, against a magical staff, and Tony Stark is more to than what meets the eye.

He’s not supposed to fight in a war alongside everyone and risk his life when he could just move to the other side of the planet. He’s not supposed to be flying around in his suit of armour helping people and watching their back with absolutely no gain for him. He can't just be an amazingly sweet and caring brother to Elizabeth when he’s expected to care for no one. Tony Stark defies the laws of physics and human expectations.

We have all misjudged the man under the Iron Mask.

** 1 Minute **

** Thor  **

War. It is a useless distraction. An imminent crisis. I recall the days when I used to court this monstrosity. Now, I wait for its death eagerly.

The Captain and I have been battling for hours now. My bones ache, and my head throbs, but I still go on. It is my brother that brought this upon Earth, so I must take responsibility and end this. I stoop low, right before the flying Chitauri can injure my head. It lies helplessly on the ground and I look behind me to see Lady Stark walking up to me, her hand covering her mouth.

“Shit. Sorry. I didn't see you there.”

She smiles slightly, but I can see the exhaustion in her eyes. They also lack the sapphire streaks that appear whenever she puts her powers to use.

“Where have your powers gone?” I ask her.

“I’ve got no energy left to create a ball of electricity. So I’m doing this the mundane way. Some old punches and kicks. Though it would be great if I can sit down for a minute and regain my strength. But no. These _things_ have to keep on coming. How many of them are there?”

“I don't know. But we have to keep fighting until Agent Romanoff finds a way to close the breach.” The Captain tells us, although he is looking worriedly at the brunette beside him.  

She seems to sense it, since she gives him a reassuring smile that calms his being immediately. She suddenly puts a hand over her ear and abruptly looks around the tattered battlefield. I send a questioning look her way and she answers,

“I lost my earpiece. Friday, do a scan of the area to locate it for me, please.”

The talking woman must have unearthed the device, because Lady Stark rushes of in the opposite direction to retrieve it.  

“I can close it. Can anyone copy? I can shut the portal down.” I hear satisfying news for the first time today and it brings a smile onto my face.

“Do it.” Rogers commands with a desperation in his tone.

“No, wait.” Man of Iron cuts in.

“Stark, these things are still coming.” Rogers argues.

“I got a nuke coming in; it's going to blow in less than a minute.”

After a moment of pause, he continues,

“And I know just where to put it.”

I feel my brows clench in confusion. What does he mean...?

I look up to the blue portal in the sky. _Surely, he can't mean..._

“Stark, you know that’s a one-way trip.”

He doesn’t respond, instead, he commands incomprehensible orders to his suit of armour and I watch while he flies into the sky. I hear before I see Lady Stark rushing towards us with a victorious smile on her face.

“Found it.” She says, showing us her comm.

I wonder what will become of her after he brother’s passing. The love the two have for each other is unlike any other I have seen. Tony’s death will shatter her from the inside and burn her alive. She looks at the solemn faces of the Captain and I, and on some sort of instinct, looks up in the sky. Her eyes widen and fill with fear and dread. 

“Tony. Tony what the hell are you doing.”  She yells

“I have to put it somewhere Liz.” I hear from the machine in my ear.

“ _You_ don't have to.” She stresses on.

“Yes, _I_ do.” He counters back with a tint of forced playfulness.

“Tony, have you gone nuts. This is insane. Your suit isn’t built for outer space. You won’t be able to get back down. You wouldn’t be able to breathe. Get back down. Now.” Elizabeth’s voice is meant to sound stern, but I can hear the unsteadiness.

“Honey, this missile is going to blow in less than a minute. It’ll take the entire city and everyone in it. I can't let that happen.” Stark explains to her.

“You’re not going to be able to come back.” I see Elizabeth’s hands form into fists, probably compelling her powers to bay, with no luck.

“I’m aware of that sis.” Tony replies sadly.

It's then that the weight of the entire situation seems to hit Elizabeth. It's then that she realizes that her brother doesn’t plan to survive this catastrophe. It’s then that she realizes that she is probably never going to see him again. I watch as she breaks even more.

I don't know him very well. However, this moment is more than enough to know that this man has a heart of gold. It takes a certain sort of courage to sacrifice everything you have, to leave everything you love for the greater good. It takes a certain sort of intelligence, to calculate practical plans precisely and execute them with success, as he does. It takes a certain sort of love to trust with their whole being, to communicate without words and to protect until the end of time, as he and Elizabeth does.

The world will lose a great asset should anything ever happen to the Man of Iron.

****

** 30 Seconds **

** Natasha **

****

The point of the sceptre rests an inch away from the surging blue sphere consisted of power. I hold the sceptre, controlling it despite my aching arm as instructed by Stark. I listen to him because I know that he does have a choice, nor do I. I listen to him despite the wretched pleas of his younger sister, because I am selfish and uncaring and because I need to wipe the red out of my ledger.

“Tony! Stop!” Liz screams in anguish, not bothering to hide the desperation anymore.

“I’ll die either way Lizzie.” Stark responds.

“I can't lose you. Not again. Please?” Her voice is quiet, broken. I blink back the unfamiliar water in my eyes.

“I love you Lizzie.” He says quietly.

I hear the loud roar of the missile and the suit combined, and I feel the extreme rush of air as Tony Stark splits through the sky with a missile hoisted on his back. I watch in melancholy as he flies up to the wormhole and disappears from view.

At first, Tony Stark was an assignment. A job, a task I had to complete. But you can't spend a whole day with a person for months and not care about them, despite how cold you may be. Some part of me (the perceptive part of me) saw right through his armour into the man he really was. An intelligent man. A loving brother. And believe or not, a pretty good boyfriend. Sure, he gets on my nerves. Sure, he’s annoying. I clench my eyes shut when I hear a broken sob through my earpiece.

He doesn’t let anyone see it, but if he cares for you, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about for the rest of your life. But he’s an annoying pest. You think you got rid of him, but he comes crawling right back. There is no way this man is going to let himself die up there.

“Come on Stark.” I whisper at the swirling blur hole as I see the aliens drop dead at the ground.

“Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on.” Liz chats repeatedly.

He has to come back. He has to come back for his sister, Pepper, and Rhodey.

“Close it.” I hear Steve command me.

I look at the sky. I keep looking at it. Hoping, that during this second, I’ll see the familiar red shooting down. I grit my teeth, and go through the familiar process of hardening my heart as Liz yells brokenly through my ear,

“No! Steve you bastard. My brother’s still in there. Don't you dare close the goddamn portal Natasha.”

I take the last ounce of energy I have and close the distance between the sceptre and the crown, closing the portal, letting Liz’s screams fuel my guilt.

My ledger is soaked in red.

 

 

** 0 **

** Steve **

_“The only thing you fight for is yourself. You’re not the gut to make the sacrifice play.”_

_“Big man in a suit of armour. Take that off and what are you.”_

I regret it. I regret all of it. I regret saying it even if I was influenced by the Tesseract. Because this man just gave up his life to sacrifice everything for us. I realize now, that he is nothing like Howard. Sure, he has the brains, the looks, and even some of the attitude. However, Tony Stark is a forced to be reckoned with. He has courage unlike any other. And he has generosity buried under layers and layers of stone.

I turn to look at Liz who clutches her stomach desperately whispering ‘no’ through her tears. I walk up to her and hold both her shoulder with my hand.

“Liz,” I whisper.

She looks at me with fury in her eyes.

“You son of a bitch!” she screams and proceeds to punch me repeatedly on my chest before her head follows. I hold her as she sobs vulnerably, after losing the person she most holds dear.

I don't know when it happened. When she became so important to me. When I began to rely for her warmth. But all I know now, is that from the moment I met her, I find myself smiling more often, the memories of my past don't haunt me as usual, and I feel more free and light then I have ever been before.

My thoughts are blocked when I hear her sharp intake of breath and she looks up to the sky (as do we all) to see the reassuring sight of Tony Stark’s Iron Man in the sky.

“Son of a gun.” I say happily to no one but myself.

The happiness is short livid when Thor points out that Tony is falling to his death. I hear Liz curse from beside me and watch Thor swing his Hammer around to create a fan of some sort.

But it’s the Hulk that comes to Stark’s rescue, roughly catching him and body smashing into the already broken pavement. Tony is cocooned safely by the green giant. Thor and I follow Liz who rushes up to her brother and kneels beside him, commanding Jarvis (the most complex machine I have ever seen) to open the suit.

My heart pounds heavily as Liz places her head above his heart, listening for a heartbeat.

“Come on Tony. Wake up.” She urges loudly. If I weren’t so close, I wouldn’t hear the soft “please,” that came after.

A moment of silence dawns upon us as Liz closes her eyes and exhales a shaky breath. I look at the motionless man below me and almost jump out of my skin when the Hulk roars loudly, the sound causes Liz to snap her eyes open, Thor to take a step back, and Tony to gasp loudly and harshly.

“What the hell?” He says breathily.

I hear rather than see Liz’s choked up laughter before she jumps into her brother arms (on the ground) to hug him.

“Please tell me nobody kissed me.” His voiced it slightly muffled by Liz’s hair, but everyone heard him clear enough to smile.

“We won.” I tell him when Liz releases him.

“All right. Yay! Good job guys. Let’s not come in tomorrow. Let’s take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it.” It’s so _Tony_ , that I have to choke back my relieved laughter, although Natasha breathily laughs while saying,

“Idiot.”

“We’re not finished yet.” Thor says solemnly. And although I understand what he means, I give him my dirtiest look for ruining a happy moment.

“And then shawarma after?” Liz asks hopefully, the light back in her eyes.

We all look at each other and for the first time in what feels like days,

We laugh.

****

 


	10. Sucker Punch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I sense, rather than hear Liz’s deathly growl before she walks up a few steps, until she is face to face to with Loki and throws a damn hard punch that breaks his nose and sends him back onto the ground, unconscious.   
> “That’s for my Tower.”

** Sucker Punch  **

** Liz **

** Aftermath of the Battle  **

_We won._

Well, _won_ is an overstatement. Half of Manhattan is destroyed, many lost their lives, much more are injured, and I’ll probably have PTSD for the rest of my life. But, overall, victory is ours. However, I’ll feel much more victorious if I can get to Stark Tower without breaking half my bones. We all decided that the Tower was probably the _least_ damaged building in which we can take refuge in.

So, here I am, walking (drudging) along the broken and battered streets of Manhattan, dragging my even more broken and battered brother along with the help of Steve. It's mostly a silent trip apart from the occasional question about his future consequence of ‘trying to be heroic by dying’, from my brother.

“Are you sure you’re not mad at me?” He asks for the millionth time.

“Yep. I am absolutely positive. I’m too glad you’re alive to hold a grudge against you.” Which I am. I’m not going to even go in detail on the 30 seconds where I thought my brother was dead.

“But you’re always mad at me when I do something stupid. Why is today so different?” He looks at me suspiciously.

“Tony, did you just ask me why is today so different? Because I can think if a million different, ways as to why today was so different. Some of them being that in the last 24 hours, we have battled an alien invasion, conquered a mythical weapon, you went through a wormhole, almost died, and got saved by a green giant, who could have possibly did more harm than good by the way he was holding you. So you know what Tony, I’d like to spend the rest of my life not having to even remotely think about this day, let alone talk about it!” I rant.

It feels good to finally rant. During the last few hours, I was too tired and emotionally drained to think of words to say, so a huge rant was an obvious no. All I want to do is go home, drink a warm cup of hot coco, binge watch The Bachelorette, and never get out of bed. But when is my life ever that easy?  What I _have_ to do is go home, stitch up all my teammates, run around the city stitching the injured, check on my hospital, make a press conference, and by then, I’ll get some time to sleep before my tiresome schedule amplifies the next day. 

** Tony  **

_“Starks are not weak. We will hold our heads high and stride with confidence despite our pain.”_

I remember the words my dad had told me when I fell off my bike for the first time and wouldn’t walk back home. I can almost imagine his immense disappointment if he were here to see me limping with the aid of two others.

_“I’m proud of you Tony. Not because you’re like me, but because you’re the opposite. You don't let your pride get in the way of you practicality. You know when you need help and you’re not afraid to get it, and that’s something I’ll never accomplish.”_

As you can see, there is a lot of controversy about my dad among my conscience. I feel a new, profound surge of pain and I decide that I’ll take my dad’s pride over his wit.

“Oh. My. God.” My sister stops dead in her tracks to stare up at the ‘Tark’ Tower. Although it's in much better shape than most of the other buildings, it looks extremely dissimilar from how we left it 24 hours ago. Out of the two of us though, it's my sister that took an extreme predilection to the tower, which is the cause of her dramatic reaction. 

In all honesty, the Tower doesn’t look _that_ bad. It's just...slightly wrecked. The shape is still unmistakably visible, and despite the loose beams and ridges, it looks safe enough to enter. Which is exactly what we do.  

“Jarvis?” I tentatively call out, hoping that my machinery hasn’t been destroyed due to the battle.

“Yes Sir.” I breathe out a sigh of relief, almost sagging on the entrance of the building.

** Natasha  **

“Give me a digital blueprint of the conditions of the Tower, J.” Stark commands to nothingness.

But the 3D design of the Stark Tower proves me wrong. It's an odd-looking blueprint; with colours and abnormal lines splattered in arbitrary areas of the model. Banner and Liz inch closer for a better look, seemingly able to understand the complex model and its representations. I see Liz’s brows scrunch in distraught and I know that something is off with the Tower (apart from the obvious.) 

“What’s wrong?” I hear Clint ask from behind me.

“Jarvis’ scan detects life form in the top floor.” Stark’s brows scrunch up in confusion.

Dr. Banner sighs in relief and in exasperation.

“That’s Loki. I can vaguely recall the other guy smashing him against your tiles.” He grins sheepishly at Liz who narrows her eyes at him (lethally, may I add).

“Let us go and finally end this.” Thor says, and although we are exhausted beyond compare, our thirst for vengeance is much stronger.

We all enter the elevator (after Jarvis confirming that it is perfectly safe) and the ride up is tense, awkward and extremely slow. After what feels like an eternity, the doors open and I hear Liz’s audible gasp at the condition of the level. The whole place is trashed beyond repair, unless, of course, the Starks decide to redo the entire storey. The windows are shattered, couches knocked over, and the floor covered with debris of itself. Most notable of all though, is the Norse God that is knocked out in the middle.

Led by Liz, we all follow and take our place in front of Loki. Our timing is perfect, because just as we get into a defensive position, (Clint with his arrow, Stark his missile, Steve his shield, Thor his hammer, Bruce ‘Hulks out’, Liz her ball of energy, and me with the mythical staff) Sleeping Beauty stirs in his sleep and his eyes flutter open.

As soon as he spots us, his face widens considerably and pales in fear. After gulping visibly, he says,

“If it's just the same to you, I’ll have that drink now.”

I sense, rather than hear Liz’s deathly growl before she walks up a few steps, until she is face to face to with Loki and throws a damn hard punch that breaks his nose and sends him back onto the ground, unconscious.

“That’s for my Tower.”

Even the Hulk backs away when she turns around.

** Clint  **

I have trouble believing that this is the same woman with whom I discussed nicknames and Disney characters minutes ago.

Although that was an incredibly badass punch, I’m slightly disappointed due to the fact that I wanted to be the one who threw the last punch to the bastard, but I get where she is coming from (with her brother almost dying and all).

As if nothing out of the ordinary happened, she smiles (sweetly) and looks at us.

“So... What should we do now?” She asks all of us, but her gaze is directed at her brother.

“Well, you can all help with clean up, because I have no idea how I’m going to explain the man shaped hole in the ground to Pepper.”

Pepper?

“Ya...Sorry about that.” I turn around to see that the doctor has returned into his normal form and I’m surprised, because I had been told that he was an uncontrollable beast.

He seems to understand everyone’s silent doubts when he explains,

“Sometimes, I have the odd rarity of controlling the other guy.” The explanation is brief but clear and I don't pry after that.

“Lady Stark, I’m afraid I must go and return Loki to Asgard.” Thor says, moving to pick his shit of a brother off the ground.

“Oh no you don't! Put your asshole of a brother back down Thor. You are going to stay here, rest, sort this mess out, and then you can go home. You just fought a massive battle, your brother’s is not going to wake up anytime soon, and your planet is just going to have to wait for a few minutes. Alright?” Elizabeth raises one eyebrow.

Probably too afraid to speak, Thor simply nods his head and (not so delicately) drops his brother back down. Tony and Elizabeth walk up to the enormous hole on the ground and stare at it for a very long time, before breaking into a hysterical laughter.

“We...ju...just...had a...Nor...Norse God...attack our...pla...plane...planet.” Tony forces out in between splutters of laughter.

“W...we...batt...battled...a bun...bunch of...ali...aliens.” Liz continues, in the same state as her brother.

“And...a...joll...jolly...gree...green...gia...giant...” Tony starts,

“Tras...trashed...our floor.” Liz finishes.

They break into another heap of laughter and now, there are tears rolling down their cheeks.

“Did Loki mess with your brains too?” I hear the Captain ask from behind me and I internally wince. Although, I know that he is trying to lighten the atmosphere, asking whether Loki messed with their brains is something I can do without.

Liz laughs breathlessly, but we can all see her face crumble when she stares at her brother. She swipes of a tear from the corner of her eye and suddenly hugs Stark, closing her eyes to prevent herself from crying.

“I’m glad you’re not dead.” She whispers loud enough for the rest of us to hear.

She pulls away and looks around at the mess around her. She takes those few minutes to compose herself before a cheeky smile appears on her face and I brace myself for whatever she thought up.

“Liz...” Tony says warningly.

It seems like I wasn’t the only one who noticed, but Stark seems to have an idea of what is about to come. The brunette has a full-on smile now and I watch in fascination as she freezes a tile until it combusts into grainy sand. A river of water appears and drops broomsticks in front of Bruce, Steve, me, and Tony.

“The four off you are on sweeping duty. Thor, Nat and I can crumble the segments into dust. And no, Tony, you can't use your suit to crush. In fact, you’re not using that suit or any other suit for the next 48 hours. You do, and I freeze every single one of them, and we both know I’ve done it before so don't even try it Stark.” Liz commands.

The man grumbles something before picking up the broom and sweeping away the pile of dust on the floor, as do we all.

It hasn’t even been a full five minutes before Jarvis’ (Stark’s complicated AI) voice pervades the room.

“Sir, Miss Potts is currently making her way up.” 

I don't miss Liz’s snicker and Stark’s muffled ‘shit’ once the news was erupted. All of us look in confusion at the stifled laughter of Liz and the outright panic and joy in Tony. That is, all of us except for Natasha, who smirks knowingly.

The elevator dings and every single one of us stare at the tear stained redhead that stomps out, the fury in her face evident despite the tears. The two Starks look at each other before Liz scurries to join the spectators (us), and Tony is left alone with the fiery woman whom I recognize as his ex-personal assistant and the CEO of his company.

“Hey Pep. Do you want me to get that for you” Stark cautiously says, referring to the medium sized hand luggage she grips so tightly, her fingers are stained white.

Apparently, she doesn’t need him to hold her suitcase (apparently, she doesn’t need her suitcase at all) because she glares furiously at him and flings said suitcase at his head, which he barely dodges.

“A missile. A goddamn missile. What the hell were you thinking Tony!” She screams and we all back up.

“Actually I wasn’t...” he starts

“What, you weren’t thinking? Of course you weren’t thinking. When do you ever use your damn head? Are you insane?” She continues yelling.

“You almost died. I almost saw you die, again. On TV. No. You weren’t dying. You were attempting suicide!” I want to cover my ears, but I’m afraid Potts will catch on the action and yell at me too.

“Pep, it wasn’t that...” Stark tries again, but is interrupted once more.

“And then you call me.  You called me Tony, to tell me what? That you were going to suicide? That you were going to die?” Her voice cracks and I know that she has gotten over her preliminary anger.

“Pepper. I’m fine.” Stark reassures her quietly.

I look at everyone’s confused faces. I’m sure that mine looks the same. We all know who this supposed ‘Pepper’ is. Virginia Potts, Stark’s ten-year employee. So, why is he letting her yell at him, and throw stuff at him? If there is one thing I haven’t misjudged about Stark’s character, is that he has an ego the size of this planet. So it's a real surprise when he lets someone other than his sister march in the room and start scolding him like a petulant parent. I’m about to clear my throat, but I glare at Natasha who painfully nudges me in the ribs, indicating me to keep quite. Therefore, I am forced into continuing to watch the show.

“You called me. You called me and I didn't answer. I thought...I thought that you were...” Her sobs prevent her from continuing and Stark holds her close, whispering something into her hair while she sobs into his chest. I think I’m going to faint.

I just battled a prince from another planet who brought aliens from _another_ planet, but it's Stark gently consoling and holding this woman as if she was everything, that actually makes me wonder if I’m going insane.

“Honey, I’m flattered over your concern for me, but we kind of have an audience.” Stark says after a few minutes of silence, minus the sobbing.

Pepper (I have no idea what to call her) chokes between laughter and tears and wipes her eyes, her head still buried in Tony’s chest. She looks up and my broom drops and I stumble over my feet when Stark bends his head down and the two of them kiss for what feels like an eternity before a red faced Thor clears his throat. It causes Pepper to abruptly pull her lips away from Stark and smile professionally at us. She spots Liz who walks up to her and the two of them meet halfway and hug each other.

“Are you okay?” Pepper asks.

“I’m fine Pep.” Liz tells her, but it doesn’t stop her from thoroughly inspecting Liz who has no serious injuries apart from the occasional cut and bruise.

Tony walks towards the two ladies, places a hand on Pepper’s back, and leads her towards us.

“Pep, meet my...colleagues.

** A Few Minutes Later **

** Steve **

It's been a long time since I’ve ever felt belonged somewhere. Here, in a broken Tower, sweeping a pile of rubbish along with others whose pasts are as equally chaotic as mine, I feel for the first time in a long time, belonged. I feel happy.

Most of this has to do with the beautiful dark haired beauty that is currently blowing up the floor with the help of Thor and Natasha. She’s just so...bright and fierce, determined and brave. Her kindness is overwhelming and it surely doesn’t help when she looks like a goddess with her petite height, luscious curves, and pink, kissable lips. As if she senses me watching her, her eyes clash with mine, and she smiles warmly, despite the ferocious blush that tinge her cheeks. I hold back a groan (I may be from the twentieth century, but it doesn’t make me any less of a man) and place the broom right in front of my crotch, not that it does much.

My eyes wide exceptionally when I spot Tony’s narrowed eyes at me and I uncomfortably squirm and pretend to go and dust the other side of the room, away from both Starks.

“How bad do you think our rooms have been trashed?” Liz asks loudly to her brother and Pepper (who has been introduced as Tony’s girlfriend).

“Looking at the mess of this floor, probably a lot.” Pepper tells her.

“Imma go take a look. If any of my picture frames are broken, I’m going to have to punch your brother again Thor.” She playfully threatens.

“Be my guest Lady Stark.” He responds, causing her to giggle.

Tony joins her as she slowly makes her way up the stairs.

“Here, let me come with you, I’ll check on my room too.”

“Oh please, you just want to ditch cleaning duty.”

Soon enough, the bickering of Tony and Liz are too far away for us to hear.

It hasn’t even been a minute since they left upstairs, when the elevator chimes for the second time that day.

Out steps an aged lady, looking around 60 or so.

Her hair has lost its vibrant colour, and laugh lines and wrinkles add on to her once flawless face. But her strong eyes and demeanour hasn’t changed in 50 years. I’d recognise her no matter how long it's been.

“Peggy.”

 

..........................................................................................................................................................

**So, here’s the thing; I was initially planning to continue this chapter until I’ve covered the entire ‘Peggy’ madness (which is the reason why I needed Steve to be trapped in ice for 50 years instead of 70). But as I wrote the final word, Peggy, I realized that finishing the chapter there would make a better ending because of the suspense.**

**Therefore, this chapter and the next (especially the next) will be shorter than my usual chapter length due to my splitting of one chapter into two.**

**Nevertheless, thank you to all who have been reading this fanfiction so far.**

**Pink Meadow**

 

 


	11. Old Ties and New Relationships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We need alcohol!” I yell.   
> “Of course, why didn't I think of that?” My brother says, and goes to the bar; grabbing the first bottle, he sees that doesn’t look trashed. He holds it up in the air proudly and I go up to him and grab the bottle from his hand.

** Old Ties and New Relationships  **

** Steve **

“Peggy” I breathe out, so quietly that no one hears me. Still, her gaze pierces mine and I harshly inhale again at the familiarity of her eyes. It feels like centuries since I have gotten the reward of seeing something familiar. Now, familiar stands right in front of me, with tears swarming in her eyes, but not quite falling out. She blinks quickly to get rid of said tears, and a small smile stretches across her face

“Good Lord Steve, you don't look a day older than the last time a saw you.” She jokingly tells me.

“That’s because I’m not, physically at least.” I respond, easing into the comfortableness I’ve always felt with her.

“Good Work Captain. I would have visited earlier but I was confined to bed rest for a couple of days,” She tells me proudly and I just smile, unable to say anything else.

Pepper interrupts our conversation (5 feet away from each other) and guides Peggy to the couch where she comfortably seats herself with the same grace and poise from 50 years ago. Apart from Thor, no one looks surprised, which means that they did their homework on me as I had did on them.

“Why don't you guys continue your task before Liz comes back down and freezes your head off?” Pepper suggests to the rest of us.

Clint and Bruce reassuringly pat my shoulder on their way past me and Natasha mouths ‘good luck’ while Thor, completely unaware of the situation, stands there. I hesitantly make my way towards the couch and take a seat on the edge, unsure of how to proceed from there.

“How are you? Apart from the whole ‘ice’ fiasco.” She starts, and I’m grateful for the ignorance of the subject of ‘ice’.

“I don't know. At first, I holed myself up in a room and didn't come out. Then, after a...special visit, I began to walk around New York and look at the things that have changed. And then came the alien invasion.” I briefly explain, not wanting to make all this about me.

“How about you? What have you been up to in the last 50 years?” I ask her, watching as she chuckles good-naturally.

“Oh you wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

I’m about to reply, when I’m interrupted by the creaking of the staircase and watch as Liz and Tony descend down, both out of their suits and wearing the clothes they had on previously in the ship.

“Aunt Peggy?” Liz confusedly says as she slows her descent down.

From behind her, Tony wears the same confused face, his with an extra layer of worry. He steps in front of Liz and walks towards Peggy who has now stood up and is glaring at him.

“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be resting.” He scolds her.

“I was resting. Until I ask to turn on the TV and see my godson carrying a missile into outer space. This is by far, the most insane thing you have ever done Anthony.” She scolds back.

Tony rolls his eyes, smiles, and places both hands on Peggy’s shoulder.

“Aunt Peg, I’m fine. And plus, why is everybody scolding me for my great act of heroism when they should be throwing me over their shoulders and praising my name?” He whines and Peggy tousles his hair affectionately.

It hadn’t dawned on me until now. Howard and Peggy were close friends even then, so obviously, their friendship continued and Peggy is close with both Liz and Tony. I get up from the couch and watch Peggy and Tony, happy that she grew up around a great set of people. On the corner of my eye, I notice the rest of the ‘team’ stop what they’re doing and observe along with me.

“You may not be my biological son Anthony, but I consider you my son in every other way possible. And believe me when I tell you that no parent deserves to see their child die before they do.”

She pulls Tony into a hug and although he grumbles and complains on how he’s ‘too old for this shit’ he hugs her back anyway.

“Now, where is my baby girl?” Peggy says once she releases Tony. Liz skips (typical Liz) towards her and embraces her in a hug.

“Aunt Peggy!” She exclaims, hugging her aunt tightly.

“You did good out there sweetie. I’m so proud of-“

“Hey, how come you yell at me but you’re proud of her.” Tony complains halfway, although he is smiling.

“If you had let me finish, I was going to say I’m proud of both of you. Your parents would have been very proud too.” She finishes, and no one could miss the way both Starks’ faces instantly sober up at the mention of their parents before Liz gives Peggy a sad smile.

Liz’s brows immediately furrow right after that and she disapprovingly looks at Peggy and places her hands on her hips.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on bed rest?” She tells her and Tony comes up to stand beside her and reprimands his aunt along with his sister.

“Aunt Peggy, you’re supposed to take care of yourself. You promised us,” he tells her.

Peggy rolls her eyes in the most Peggy-way, scoffs and shakes their concerns off.

“Oh. I can take care of myself. The doctor said that the only reason why I was still in bed rest was because the two of you threatened him to take extra good care of me. Otherwise, I would have been out a long time ago.” She tells them.

“Still, you shouldn’t be here. It's too dangerous.” Tony’s voice is concerned and serious.

“I know Tony. I’m not going anywhere.” She reassures both of them gently.

I walk toward the rest of the team and pick up my broom, allowing them some time to themselves without disturbances.

** Liz **

The city looks so small from here. I’m standing on the balcony, hoping that it doesn’t give in at the moment and come crashing down. I’m too drained to deal with any type of surprises anymore.

I turn at the sound of laughter and watch as Steve and Aunt Peggy discuss something before they roar with laughter. Tony sits beside them and amusedly shakes his head and I feel an involuntary smile stretch across my face before I turn around to look down at the city. We lost so much in the last 24 hours, others more than I did, but I feel guilty, because here I am, way up in a Tower, away from all the collateral damage.

“That’s not a nice look on you.”

I turn my head to look at Steve, who now stands beside me instead of his original place beside my Aunt. I had genuinely forgotten about the Captain and my Aunt’s complicated past until Peggy decided to show up at the tower. It was then that I remembered all the stories I had heard about Aunt Peggy’s first love, Steve Rogers, and the brave, kind man he was when I was a little girl.

I’ve long stopped trying to ignore the blatant attraction I have for Steve when it became apparent that it wasn’t going to go away. The man is practically sex on legs with a boyish, courteous charm that is almost impossible to find. It's been ages since I’ve been this comfortable with someone other than Tony and Aunt Peggy. Seeing him with my Aunt made me feel slightly insecure. It's stupid, I know, but anyone could see the love my Aunt had for the Captain and it's not that hard to realize that it was wholly returned.

That’s the thing. I’m not Peggy. I’m actually the opposite. So naturally, I would feel slightly insecure on my attraction to Steve. A few moments ago, I had the slightest intuition that he might feel the same way. Now, I’m not so sure. I’m brought back to reality when Steve shakes my shoulder and I questionably look at him.  

“Are you alright?” He asks me.

“What? Ya. I’m fine. I just...um...I was looking at the city. Or what’s left of it. I wonder how much it would cost to rebuild all this. Maybe I should go down and help.” I realize that I’m practically talking to myself and I return my gaze back to him, and struggle to keep it there without blushing.

“What were you saying?” I ask him.

“I was telling you that sadness was not a good look on you.” He tells me with a smile on his face.

“I should really go down to help them. I was a part of creating this mess, so I should be the one to clean it up. But, I’m just so tired and sleepy, and Aunt Peggy just came and I haven’t spent time with her in ages. Oh, and I’m so sorry for not telling you about Peggy before, I really forgot about her in the midst of you know, aliens and shit.” I’m cut off (on my carefully planned change of subject), when he places his hand on my shoulder.

“Hey, it's ok. You need to get some sleep Liz. You look beat.”

“I know, I just feel bad, you know, sleeping when the entire city, _my_ city is in ruins. I’ll just drink a nice cup of coffee. No. I need something stronger than coffee.” I get a sudden idea and grab his hand, dragging him along with me into the room that is currently occupied by a bunch of superheroes (including Pepper and Aunt Peggy).

They all quickly look away from the balcony, where I was a few seconds ago (meaning that they were spying on me), but I ignore it, drop Steve’s hand and make my way towards the middle of the room.

“We need alcohol!” I yell.

“Of course, why didn't I think of that?” My brother says, and goes to the bar; grabbing the first bottle, he sees that doesn’t look trashed. He holds it up in the air proudly and I go up to him and grab the bottle from his hand.

I open it, and take a long sip, relishing in the familiar burn of the liquid against my throat.

“This bottle is mine. You guys share another one.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	12. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth Stark Will Die

** Goodbye. (Hopefully, we never see each other again).  **

** Loki; The Architect of the Avengers  **

Pathetic. These losers are pathetic. Do they really think that the war is in any way over? What a bunch of squabbled idiots the world has as its protectors. I control my face to look defeated and angry, when in reality, I’m laughing gleefully at my knowing of the continued war on this planet.

The Captain on his two-wheeled contraption and the others on their four-wheeled contraption arrive as I am being tugged alongside my brother. His face looks of a grown warrior in victory, but I know that on the inside he is jumping in joy as he used to do when he would win a battle.

The ‘Avengers’ (what a stupid name) make their way towards me and form a human circle around me. How hilarious! Even after defeat, they are still wary of me. I can smell their fear from here.

“Thank You for all your help.” Thor bellows to the group.

They all nod back at him, giving their goodbyes in silence. All except for Tricity. She walks up and embraces my brother in a warm hug, which he gladly returns. When they separate, she places a hand on his shoulder and tells him sternly,

“Visit Jane, okay?”   

He nods in response and then she turns to me, her expression unreadable.

“Nice meeting you.” She smiles wickedly and I decide that out of all the pathetic hooligans called the Avengers, Elizabeth Stark might not be as bad. I bet she doesn’t know the extent of her power. She could conquer the world with the power she possesses and yet, all she does is create electrical and icy blasts.

Elizabeth takes her rightful place beside her brother and my own gives a final nod before he places a hand on the glass case in which the Tesseract is being held and I feel the familiar surge of energy as I am whisked back to Asgard. My home. My prison.

The War isn’t over yet.

** Tony **

I step back from Thor and Loki, but mainly from the surging blue energy that surrounds them and wait (since my captivation disables me to move) until both blue light and Asgardians are no longer present.

“Wow. That was some day.” My sister says from beside me, her eyes yet to leave the spot where Thor and Loki once stood.

“Tell me about it.” I respond.

“I’m going to stay in Washington with Charlie for a couple of days. Try to regain some normalcy into my life. Not that my life was ever normal, you know, with the powers and S.H.I.E.L.D, and now Iron Man. But this was...abnormal, even for me.” She finally looks at me.

Even though I’d much rather prefer her staying here, where I can guarantee her safety, I nod in her direction, acknowledging her request. We slowly walk up to my (awesome) red, (awesome) leather, (awesome) two seat Ferrari where Bruce meets us with his (extremely small for a long stay) luggage. Liz looks at the two of us with a furrowed brow.

“There are only two seats.” She states the obvious.

“I know.” I reply carefully.

“There are three of us.” She again states the obvious.

“Yes, there are.” I again reply slowly, as if I was talking to a small child.

“Well, are you going to sit on Bruce’s lap?” She sarcastically says.

I pretend to think for a second, and then I pretend to get an idea.

“Hey Capsicle!” I call out to the man who is currently talking to Leoglas.

When he turns to acknowledge me, I wave him over and he makes his way towards us.

“So here’s the plan, Brucie and I will take my amazing new car to the Tower and Capsicle can take Lizzie to the Tower on his...whatever that is.” I point to the bicycle parked under an apple tree.

My sister narrows her eyes (threateningly) at me and before she can say a word, I grab Steve’s hand, shake it, rush into the car (in which Bruce already sits) and drive away. It's surprising that Lizzie didn't go on a full rant during the time, but come to think about it, her shock probably took over.

“That was the plan all along, wasn’t it?” Bruce asks me.

I just smile and turn the radio on.

** Elizabeth  **

I stand there awkwardly for who knows how long, staring at the spot where my brother’s new Ferrari was parked a few seconds ago. That son of a bitch!

“Liz?” Steve calls my name (who knows how long he’s been calling it) and I finally face him and give him a sheepish smile.

“You don't have to take me to the Tower. Tony was just being Tony. I’ll just fly there, not fly, fly, but you know, my water thingy that I use to get around. Actually, there was this one time where I tried to fly, like create repulsers similar to Iron Man’s using my heat, but it was too hard to generate heat, control it and fly at the same time so I gave up. The water river is much easier, cause ice is to slippery and we both know I’ll fall cause I was born klutz and well, we don't even need to get started on electricity becau...”

“Get on the bike Liz.” Steve amusedly tells me.

Sometime during my babble, he had gotten his motorcycle and mounted on it. He gestured for me to take a seat behind him and I made my way to the back of the bike, taking deep breaths on the way.

I position myself on the bike, until I’m in a comfortable position as far away from Steve as possible. But the universe probably had enough of my good luck because as soon as the bike rumbles on, it goes flying forward through the road, taking me along with it.

I jolt forward on the bike, latching onto the only thing there is to stabilize me, Steve. I feel his body go rigid as soon as I face plant into his back (muscular as expected), but due to the speed this bike is going at (I'm surprised it can pass 50 mph), I don't think I’ll even be able to let go to even brush the hair off my face. Apart from my rivers of water, I’ve never been one for roller coasters or any type of speedy transportation, so riding on Steve’s grandpa bike, which is not so grandpa after all, is terrifying. Therefore, my head is buried into his leather jacket (that smells of apples, shaving cream and...Steve), and my arms (damn bitches with a mind of their own) have looped under his arms and cling on tightly.

We finally come to a stop a few blocks away from the Tower, and by miracle, a spot that isn’t trashed. I gingerly get off, not wanting to expose my fear and stare at the ground for a few seconds before he starts a conversation (something I’m amazingly good at).

“I’ll drive slower next time.”

“What?” I feign confusion

“Next time, I’ll drive slower.”

So he did notice. I clear my throat and compress the wide smile that threatens to blow out, although I can feel the corners of my moth tip up widely.

“Next time? I wasn’t really sure there was going to be a next time.” I tell him, leaning my back against a dusty lamppost.

“This isn’t goodbye. Right?” A hint of fear sweeps in the corner of his eyes and I am quick to chase it away.

“No, it isn’t. I mean, it is goodbye. But not goodbye, goodbye. Like the goodbye when you know, you’re never going to see someone again and you sadly say goodbye like they do in those chick flick romantic movies. This is goodbye. The ‘see you again’ goodbye. The ‘I will find a way to contact you’ goodbye. The ‘we should meet up sometime’ goodbye. The...”

“Goodbye Liz.” He softly interrupts me.

There are only two people in the entire world that can interrupt my rant. The first is Tony, and the second person is Aunt Peggy. However, I’m pretty sure I can make an exception for Steve Rogers, especially when he moves in closer until we’re a breath apart and his lips inch closer to mine.

“Lizzie, are you here yet? I’m bored!”

We abruptly pull away at the voice of my brother over my (goddamn ‘automatic answer for Tony’) phone and I instantly glare and decline it, even though I know that our moment is gone. I smile softly at the sheepish solider who has managed to weasel his way into my every thought since day one, and step closer.

“Goodbye Steve” I whisper and give a gentle peck on his cheek before I wave him goodbye to wherever he’s going.

I make my way into the Tower and the elevators open for me. I stand there while Tony’s favourite band plays.

My phone rings once more.

“Hey, did I interrupt something? You cut the phone earlier.”

 

** Thanos **

I keep my eyes trained on the magnificent blue and green planet. A planet where an Infinity Stone once resided. Now, because of the idiot Loki, it has been taken to Asgard, and I can't let anyone know of my plan just yet, or I will be in the middle of a fully-fledged war without the knowledge of where the others are. 

And Loki, the ignorant fool! He had one task: kill the girl with the power, and bring me her blood. Instead, the brainless bastard sought to rein the planet. I cannot have her in my way. My plan cannot be prosecuted ‘till she dies and loses the power that she holds. Only one of us can survive, and it can't be her.

Another plan begins to form in my head and I feel the start of a smile.

The War isn’t over yet. Elizabeth Stark will die.

****

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
